Preview: Davis Cup Juniors and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors Finals
The 37th edition of the Davis Cup Juniors and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors by BNP Paribas Finals is only days away and for the second successive year the Turkish city of Antalya will host the extravaganza.
In little more than a week, the latest world champions will top their respective podiums and be crowned world champions, assuming the status of the best boys' and girls' teams on the planet in the 16-and-under age group.
The list of players who have done exactly that in previous years before embarking on hugely successful professional careers is staggering. Sine 2015 alone, the likes of Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Coco Gauff, Denis Shapovalov and Marketa Vondrousova have all triumphed at the Finals on behalf of their nations.
There is so much inspiration for the class of 2022 ahead of a tournament which is a major milestone on the ITF player pathway, while the Finals kickstart the ITF’s November to Remember when team competition takes centre stage.
When the action gets underway in Antalya on Tuesday 1 November, 16 teams in both Davis Cup Juniors and Billie Jean King Cup Juniors will do battle in four round-robin groups with the aim of making the quarter-finals and beyond.
In Billie Jean King Cup Juniors, Czech Republic are the reigning champions after their team of Brenda Fruhvirtova, Sara Bejlek and Nikola Bartunkova, who have all since achieved a WTA ranking inside the top 300, conquered all before them in 2021.
The Czechs are eyeing a sixth Billie Jean King Cup Juniors title this time around while, if that feat is achieved, it will be the second time they have chalked up back-to-back titles following their successes in 2000 and 2001.
In Davis Cup Juniors, France will be on a mission to seal their first title since 2005, having reached the 2021 final – their joint-best performance since last topping the podium – only to succumb to Russia
Czech Republic, however, are likely to be a formidable outfit and could become the first nation to win both events in the same year since USA in 2014.
Incidentally, there are seven other nations – Argentina, Australia, Japan, Mexico Spain, Turkey and USA – represented in both events.
Should Türkiye’s boys triumph, it will be the first time a team has been crowned Davis Cup Juniors champions on home soil since Spain dispatched Czech Republic in Barcelona in 2004. The USA’s girls did likewise in 2019 in Orlando.
Talking of USA, they are on a quest to win a seventh Billie Jean King Cup Juniors title and extend their lead at the top of the all-time list of champions. USA currently have six titles, with Australia and Czech Republic on five.
In Davis Cup Juniors, Australia and Spain will both bid to claim sole ownership of top spot on the list for most titles by recording a seventh success, while next on the roster comes France with their tally of four.
In total, there will be eight past Davis Cup Juniors champions on show in Antalya in the form of Australia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Italy Japan, Spain and USA.
There are six in Billie Jean King Cup Juniors – Argentina, Australia, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands and USA – while Japan have reached the final twice, in 2017 and 2021, without lifting silverware.
Maybe Japan can go one better this year? After all, they have Sara Saito, the highest-ranked girl on show in Turkey, within their team, with the junior world No. 7 winning her first Grade A event earlier this month. That said, there is plenty of talent on show across the board.
Look no further than Spain's Martin Landaluce, who is ranked No. 3 in the junior world rankings on the boys' side. The 16-year-old has won six titles this season, including the US Open Junior Championships, so he will certainly be one to watch when play starts.
It is worth nothing that with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals and the Davis Cup by Rakuten Final 8 following the junior finals later in November, there is also the opportunity for a junior-professional double for some nations. Now that truly would be a November to remember!
In short, there is much to play for. Let battle commence!
Davis Cup Juniors team announcements
Davis Cup Juniors stats and facts