As the business end of the 2019 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals roared into life, Jiri Vesely – a familiar face at the TK Plus Arena during the tournament’s finale – popped by to cast his eye over the latest batch of talented youngsters to showcase their skills on the Prostejov clay.

Vesely, who spent 52 weeks at the top of the junior world rankings after hitting the summit in January 2011, was a member of the Czech Republic boys’ team which navigated their way to the final, where they lost 2-0 to Australia, 12 years ago.

The 26-year-old retains immense fondness for the event and believes the Finals play a huge role in the development of promising youngsters, offering invaluable insight into international competition for those in the 14 and under age category.

“I remember the tournament being a lot of fun and an essential experience,” Vesely told itftennis.com. ““There was a great sense of everyone supporting each other, especially within the Czech team.

“I remember we played the final, which was a great experience because at that age you don’t get too many chances to compete against players from across the world. It was a perfect experience for me at that time and I have great memories.

“Most competitions at 14 and under level are against European opposition only, and it is always challenging to play against players from countries across the globe. Here, we got the chance to play against and watch the likes of Australia, Brazil, Argentina and USA.

“This was important in our development and very motivating for us in terms of taking the next step. When you’re moving towards under-18 level you need to know your level and how much you need to improve in order to be the best you can be.”

As it was for Vesely when he was here, the class of 2019 will know that by competing at the ITF World Junior Finals they are following in the footsteps of some esteemed former participants and a host of lofty names.

Previous headline acts have included Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal – winners of a combined 34 Grand Slam singles titles. Djokovic contested the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals in 2001, while Nadal competed here in 1999 and 2000.

The list of big-hitters to have played at the Finals is all but endless: Andy Murray, Amelie Mauresmo, Lleyton Hewitt, Ashleigh Barty, Juan Martin Del Potro, Elina Svitolina, Kei Nishikori, Eugenie Bouchard, Nick Kyrgios, Frances Tiafoe, Sloane Stephens and Andy Roddick.

More recently, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Bianca Andreescu represented Canada in 2014, as did Denis Shapovalov 12 months earlier, which was also the year Marketa Vondrousova and Australian duo Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin featured.

Czech Fed Cup by BNP Paribas winner Katerina Siniakova, Daniil Medvedev and Thanasi Kokkinakis, meanwhile, played alongside Barty, who claimed her maiden Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros in June, in 2010.

American Cori Gauff, meanwhile, who rocketed into the world’s Top 150 following her run to the round of 16 at this year’s Wimbledon, is another to have showcased her skills in Prostejov. The 15-year-old was a member of the USA girls’ team crowned ITF World Junior Tennis winners in 2017.

“That is so inspiring for a young player,” said Vesely. “You want to play the tournaments that the best guys in the world have played and are playing as it proves that you are heading in the right direction and are on the correct path.

“For me, at that time, it was one of my goals to represent my country and be able to win some points for my country and win while wearing my nation’s colours. Things like that build personality and character within you and are invaluable as your career progresses.”