2024 has been another record-breaking year for the Junior Tour, with more tournaments staged by Tennis Europe than ever before.
In total, 520 events took place, hosted by 45 European nations, with almost 12,000 of the Tour’s 22,000 eligible players competing at least once.
This represents a 28% increase in the number of events since 2019, as the Tour continues to grow, diversify and develop.
Some of the main headlines in this landmark year included:
- 14-year-old Tea Kovacevic’s incredible year, in which the Bosnian won 11 singles titles including the 16&U Junior Masters (where she notably qualified to compete in both age categories) and the 14&U European Championships
- Home favourite Carla Giambelli (ITA) memorably won singles and doubles gold at the European 16 & Under Championships in Parma. She also won in Milan earlier in the season, where she beat Kovacevic for the title.
- Yannick Alexandrescou (ROU) went unbeaten at the Tour’s two premier events, sweeping the European Championships and Junior Masters 16 & Under titles to end his Junior Tour career in style.
- The 12&U Winter Cups by Dunlop returned for the first time since the pandemic, with Great Britain (girls) and Slovakia (boys) claiming the titles in Sunderland
- Sweden (girls) and Switzerland (boys) won their first ever 16 & Under Winter Cups titles
- There was a first ever British sweep at the 14&U Junior Masters as close friends Scott Watson and Megan Knight took the titles.
- Off court, as Tennis Europe intensified its focus on safeguarding, more than 2,200 persons registered as ‘accompanying persons’, a new condition for travelling with players to Junior Tour events. Tennis Europe staff also received safeguarding training.
- The Tennis Europe Junior School – the only educational programme to be supported by the ITF, ATP and WTA – called in at 19 events, and introduced two new topics.
2025 Preview
Some significant changes and enhancements to the Tour will take place in 2025.
New branding, and a new image for the Tour will be introduced throughout the year, along with new, regular e-mail updates with exclusive features and advantages for Junior Tour players.
Player entry fees – frozen since 2022 – will rise to enable Tennis Europe to better manage the increased demands on human and financial resources that inevitably accompany the growth of the Tour.
Other rule changes for 2025 include off-court coaching during umpired matches at certain events, and are outlined in the annual Major Rule Changes document.
For the first time – six Super Category tournaments – the Tour’s most prestigious individual events, will be held for players aged 14 & Under. They are:
- Les Petits As, Tarbes (FRA)
- Kungens Kanna & Drottningens Pris, Stockholm (SWE)
- Maia Jovem, Maia (POR)
- *NEW: 58º Torneo Avvenire, Milan (ITA)
- Internationale Deutsche Tennismeisterschaften, Dueren (GER)
- *NEW: World TEC Cup, Barcelona (ESP)
A 16 & Under Super Category event will return to Rome, where the Internazionali d’Italia will once again be played alongside the prestigious ATP & WTA Tour events, offering players a unique opportunity to compete in front of large crowds at the fabled Foro Italico, training alongside their heroes.
There’s a whole lot more to come too, with Tennis Europe’s 50th anniversary taking place in 2025, which is also the 35th anniversary of the creation of the Junior Tour.
Whether you’re a player, parent, coach, organiser, volunteer, official or a fan, we thank you for your support of the Junior Tour in 2024 and look forward to bringing you another unforgettable season in 2025.