TENNIS EUROPE JUNIOR TOUR 25 EUROPEAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
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40 Years of the European Junior Championships
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Tennis s the Tennis Europe Junior still working on the backhand, but Europe Tour celebrates its 25th anthat day it worked perfectly.” niversary in 2015, its flagship Also enjoying a victory at the European Championships that year was competition was celebrating Mats Wilander, another future world its 40th edition. The European Junior R N CH #1. The Swede was starting a run of Championships is the most coveted crown AMPIO victories that enabled him to become on the Tour; the most important tournament in terms of prestige and ranking points, the only player ever to win four singles and an annual celebration of the greatest junior titles, and the only male to have won all three talents on our continent. age categories of the event, going unbeaten at 14, 16 With draws almost as large as those of a Grand and 18 & Under levels. “I remember my first win, in Slam, the European Junior Championships have Prerov in Czechoslovakia. Ivan won the Under 18s the grown to such an extent that the various age catesame year. I remember it very well actually because gories – 14, 16 and 18 & Under - are each played at I practiced with Hana Mandlikova, which was the separate venues. But that wasn’t always the case - until original goal of the whole trip for me. I thought she 1982 the events always took place in one location, was a really cool player.” and even incorporated a 12 & Under competition for The chance to practice alongside Mandlikova wasn’t a few years in the early 1980’s. his only motivation though. “I remember when Johan Sjogren came home the year before after winning the European Championship; it was his biggest win yet, The early days... so for us in Sweden it became a huge goal.” Many of the all-time greats of the game - including 11 former world #1s - played at the European Junior Into the 1980s... Championships, and still cherish the memories of As Wilander won the last of his titles, coming the event, which often represented a personal breakthrough. Though he later recorded greater triumphs, from a set down to beat Slobodan Zivojinovic (YUG) going on to win eight Grand Slam titles, 1978 18 & in Serramazzoni and adding the doubles with Joakim Under champion Ivan Lendl recalls his win clearly. Nyström for good measure, a young German was “I remember it well,” he told us. “It was played in making herself known internationally for the first Czechoslovakia. I had been practicing a topspin backtime. Fraulein Forehand, as she came to be known, hand for a long time and that was the week that it claimed the singles title of the short-lived 12 & Under competition. Steffi Graf went on to win the 14 finally clicked. I had always had close matches with & Under event for the next two years – including a him [final opponent Per Hjertquist], but on that occasion memorable 1-6 6-2 11-9 win over Andrea Holikova I beat him pretty bad. I didn’t expect to because I was
Steff i Graf
“The European Junior Championships in Blois bring back great memories. It was so special to me to be able to experience playing for my country at such a young age.” 22
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1 . A young Ivan Lendl on his way to European Junior Championship glory. 2 . 1981 14 & Under doubles champion Boris Becker and 1982-83 singles champion Steffi Graf. 3 . Mats Wilander – the only player ever to be undefeated at four editions of the tournament. 3
in the 1982 final - and still recalls the excitement of those early international tournament experiences: “The European Junior Championships in Blois bring back great memories. It was special to me to be able to experience playing for my country at such a young age. What stands out for me are the moments in the dorms with the other players from all over Europe, perhaps having a little too much fun, and making friends from other countries that lasted through my career.” As the 1980s went on, a procession of future Grand Slam champions earned their first big titles at the European Championships, including Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. 1988 18 & Under Champion Conchita Martinez remembers her home victory at the event in Zaragoza with pride, “To be able to play – and win – a European Championship at such a young age really gave me extra motivation for my future career, and showed me that I really had the chance to do well. It was great to have the possibility to play against players from
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