Junior tennis takes centre stage

 

Originally published on: 02/12/13 00:00

Writing in his exclusive column for tennishead, Mats outlined events such as this week’s Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships at IMG Academy in Florida as key battlegrounds for budding champions.

“It is particularly interesting to see the under-12s and under-14s because they are still so young,” Mats said. “When you see an 11-year-old play and then they come back a year later you can see real progress.

“You can see how hard they have worked and how they have improved physically, mentally, technically and tactically,” he added. “These events are a great chance to see the Grand Slam champions of the future.”

Great Britain is represented in the annual Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships, which cover four age groups from under-12s to under-18s.

Ranked a Grade 1 event, the Eddie Herr is two tiers below Grand Slam tournament status and boasts previous champions Eugenie Bouchard (2008 Girls U16), Laura Robson (2007 Girls U14, 2006 Girls U12) and Bernard Tomic (2004 Boys U12).

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