Arthur Salafa (FRA) and Elizaveta Anikina (EST) are the winners of the 2024 Carlos Moya 12 & Under Festival, the season-ending invitational event for Europe’s top players of the age group. | Photo Gallery
The Festival, held at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Manacor, Mallorca offered the 64 participants (from 23 nations) a week of high-level tennis competition - broadcast live on tenniseurope.org - combined with engaging off-court activities.
The tournament kicked off with a visit to the Rafa Nadal Museum, where players admired the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s trophies and were thrilled to see his first racquet and even his trophy from 'Les Petits As', a Tennis Europe Junior Tour event. They spent time exploring interactive games and taking lots of photos.
The visit was followed by the Opening Ceremony and a Q&A session with Carlos Moya, who shared his wealth of experience and ofference some valuable advice to the players, "The most important thing to me is to enjoy the journey. You don’t know who will make it to the professional level, so for now, it’s about giving your best—your 100%—every single day, even on the bad days because those are the ones that matter most. If you work hard through those days, you’ll learn to embrace the challenges. Enjoy the process, you’re only 11 or 12 years old. There’s plenty of time before the professional tour. Cherish the moment, the friendships you’re making, and this entire week!”
The off-court schedule also included a Players' Party and a session of the Tennis Europe Junior School. The participants learned about Safeguarding and Media, and were joined by special guest Sandi Procter, President of the LTA and Vice President of Tennis Europe. She talked about her roles in both organizations, her background and her experiences at Wimbledon.
The Finals: Boys’ Singles
Arthur Salafa breezed through the Group Stage with quick wins but faced a tough challenge in the quarterfinals. After losing the first set to Frederick Fabricius, he managed to come back and claim victory in the match tie-break.
Martin Adamca’s most challenging match came in the semifinal against Sweden’s Enzo Brito, who dominated the first set with a 6-2 win. However, the Slovak managed to turn the match around and secure his spot in the final.
The finalists had met once before, at the Winter Cups earlier this year, where Adamca won 6-1 7-5. On this occasion, Salafa evened the head-to-head. He claimed the tightly contested first set 7-6 but faced a challenge as Adamca took a 3-1 lead in the second. However, the French regained his focus and won five of the next six games to seal the championship with a 6-4 victory in the second set.
Girls’ Singles
Both girls’ finalists were making a second appearance at the 12 & Under Festival, and demonstrated that they have gained valuable experience and learned important lessons since last year’s edition. Estonia’s Elizaveta Anikina maintained her dominance, limiting Eva Maria Bulai’s opportunities to take control. Although the match was closer than the scoreline suggested, Anikina excelled in the important moments and ensured the gold medal with a 6-2 6-2 win over her Romanian opponent. This victory marks Anikina’s seventh Tennis Europe title of the year, with five tournament wins in the 12 & Under category and two in the 14 & Under category.
Doubles
The doubles finals were held on Saturday. After an intense semifinal, Martin Adamca returned to the court alongside his compatriot Matteo Sanson. Facing them were the well-rested British duo Frederick Fabricius and Kai Max Hodkinson, who dominated the match with ease. Fabricius and Hodkinson secured the title with a decisive 6-3, 6-0 victory.
As for the girls, Croatia’s Korana Barisic showed great determination. Despite losing a challenging singles semifinal earlier in the day, she regrouped alongside her close friend Ana Marija Rebic. Together, they triumphed against Mariia Kocherzhenko & Anna Kuznetsova of Ukraine 7-6 6-3.
Tennis Europe Vice-President and Junior Committee Chair Sandi Procter commented, “It has been a delight to see first-hand the incredible efforts made by the hosts and organisers here at the Rafa Nadal Academy to ensure an unforgettable experience for the players, both on and off-court. This tournament represents an important milestone in the careers of the young participants; for many of whom this will be their final 12 & Under tournament. Congratulations to all the participants, and on behalf of Tennis Europe, thanks once again to our generous hosts.”