The Tennis Europe Junior Tour’s premier summer team competition will reach a brand-new audience later this month when the 16 & Under Summer Cups boys’ qualifying competition takes place alongside the ATP Hamburg Open 500 event.
The action will take place during the ATP tournament’s final weekend, from 19-21 July, when eight teams (Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Türkiye) will battle to advance from their qualifying group.
First played in the 1950s, the Summer Cups are Europe’s longest-running junior team event, offering young players an early taste of international team competition. Held across four age categories (12/14/16/18 & Under), the 16 & Under tournament also serves as the European qualifying for the Junior Davis Cup (boys) and Junior Billie Jean King Cup (girls).
Tennis Europe CEO Thomas Hammerl commented, “Our strategic focus is to stage officially-sanctioned Junior Tennis events alongside ATP and WTA tournaments. We’re very grateful to the Hamburg Open organisers and the DTB for providing this unique opportunity to these young players.”
Earlier this year, a 16 & Under event was held alongside the Masters 1000 event in Rome for the first time, while the winners of the recent Raynes Park 14 & Under tournament received wild cards to compete on the biggest of stages: the Wimbledon 14 & Under Invitational tournament.
The ATP 500 Hamburg Open’s stellar player line-up this year includes several former Summer Cups players and Junior Tour alumni, headed by former European Junior Champion Holger Rune and Junior Masters winner Alexander Zverev.
The German Tennis Federation is also pleased that the young players will take the spotlight alongside the ATP stars: “Bringing the Tennis Europe Summer Cup to Hamburg is a great opportunity for our young players to present themselves in front of a larger audience and home fans. These competitions are important to create a sense of team spirit among the boys and give them a taste of what it feels like to represent their country in the Davis Cup,” says DTB board member Veronika Rücker.
The DTB, along with the City of Hamburg with its Hamburg Active City initiative, supports the European Summer Cup. The City Hall is also committed to the prestigious junior competition: “The City of Hamburg is very excited that the youth can showcase their skills as part of this year's ATP tournament. The Active City concept is lived out here: young players are integrated into the high-class competitions of the professionals. Spectators can look forward to the top stars of tomorrow, and the juniors can experience the atmosphere of a major ATP tournament. Germany has some hopeful talents in the 16 & Under category who became vice-European champions last year. I hope they go all the way this year - the first step is made here in Hamburg in our beautiful Rothenbaum stadium,” says Hamburg's State Councilor Christoph Holstein.
Tennium, the organizer hosting the Hamburg Open for the first time this year, is also looking forward to the junior tournament: “We are very committed to supporting and motivating the next generation,” says Enric Molina Mur, Managing Tournament Director of the Hamburg Open. “Tennium also manages and promotes talents as an agency. By hosting the European Summer Cup at the Hamburg Open, we give the players the opportunity to showcase their skills and gain valuable experience at one of the most traditional tournaments on the tour. The young players of today are the big stars of tomorrow, and together with them, we want to build a stronger future for tennis,” Molina Mur continues.