Preview: 2023 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals
The 2023 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals get underway on Monday in Prostejov, Czechia with 16 boys’ and 16 girls’ teams battling to be crowned the world’s best in the 14-and-under age category.
Reaching this stage of the competition is already a huge achievement and follows qualifying events in five regions – Asia/Oceania, Europe, Africa, South America and North/Central America and the Caribbean.
The players selected to represent their nations will now test themselves against the very finest in their age group, with the forthcoming week a significant step in the progression and development of all competitors.
In total there will be 22 nations represented at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals which is a true festival of junior tennis, with players wearing their country’s colours with pride – just as professionals do in Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Indeed, many of today’s top players have honed their skills at this event, going on to represent their nations at senior level, as well as earning individual honours at the Grand Slams and on the ATP and WTA Tours.
The likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, Nick Kyrgios, Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff are just a few names to have competed at the Finals in recent times, reflecting the importance of this competition.
Intriguing storylines always emerge and before this year’s extravaganza even begins, it is worth noting that the boys’ teams from Pakistan and Hong Kong have qualified for the Finals for the first time since 1996 and 2001 respectively.
That is a fantastic achievement for those nations, and across the two draws there will be many players with hopes and aspirations of leading their country to glory and topping the Prostejov podium with silverware in hand.
Who will be victorious? It is almost time to find out.
Each day there will be live streams from Prostejov, which will be available on the ITF website and YouTube channel, as will live scores from all courts.
Results from each day’s play will also be available, while it is worth keeping an eye on the ITF’s social media channels for a different style – compared to recent years at least – of coverage.
Stats and facts on the 16 boys’ teams competing in Prostejov are available here, while information on the 16 girls’ team can be found here.