Depending on where you live, there’s probably no shortage of tennis tournaments for your child to play. Once you’ve established your ties with your local club and governing body, you’ll quickly discover which tournaments are most important to play in your region.
But there’s also a lot to be said about playing in international tournaments.
Gaining playing experience against competitors from around the world is an important factor in understanding just where your child ranks outside of your area, even outside of your country.
While the four Grand Slams are the crème de la crème of the junior tennis circuit, you may also want check out and register for one or more of these highly regarded competitions along the way.
1. Little Mo International
When: Every December
Where: Port St. Lucie, Florida
Surface: Hard Court
Age: U-8; U-9; U-10; U-11
Categories: Boys Singles, Girls Singles
Website
Past Winners: Andy Roddick (1992)
Selection USA: Sectional, Regional, National Competition
Selection International: Must play qualifier, top 4 move into main draw
2. Open Super 12
When: Every February
Where: Auray, France
Surface: Hard Court
Age Group: U-12 (11 & 12-year olds only)
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
Website
Past winners: Kim Clijsters (1995); Dinara Safina (1998); Olivier Rochus 1992, 1993); Jamie Murray (1997); Raphaël Nadal (1998); Andy Murray (1999)
3. Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships
When: Late November, Early December
Where: IMG/Bollettieri Academies, Bradenton, Florida
Surface: Hard Court
Age Group: U-12, 14, 16, 18
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
Website
Past Winners: Melanie Oudin (G18-2007); Laura Robson (G14-2007); Urszula Radwanska (G18-2006); Marin Cilic (B18-2005); Ana Ivanovic (G18-2002); Jelena Jankovic (G18-2001); Maria Sharapova (G16-2000); Andy Roddick (B18-1999)
4. Les Petits As – Le Mondial des 12-14 Ans!
When: Every January
Where: Tarbes, France
Surface: Hard Court
Age Group: 12, 14
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
Website
Past Winners: Martina Hingis (1991, 1992); Kim Clijsters (1997): Dinara Safina (2000); Michael Chang (1986); Richard Gasquet (1999); Rafaël Nadal (2000)
ITF GRADE A EVENTS
Grade A events offer the most ranking points, these include Junior Grand Slams which also offer bonus points to the winners. Grade 5 events offer the least ranking points and should be used as an introduction to the ITF Junior Circuit.
5. International Casablanca Junior Cup
When: Late December to Early January
Where: Tlalnepantla, Mexico
Surface: Hard Court
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
ITF Level: A
Website
Past Winners:, Marcus Baghdatis (2003); Jelena Jankovic (2001), Aleksandra Wozniak (2005); Juan Martín Del Potro (2005)
6. Copa Gerdau
When: March
Where : Porto Alegre, Brazil
Surface: Clay
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
Website
Past Winners: Gustavo Kuerten; Fernando Gonzalez
7. Dunlop Orange Bowl
When: December
Where: Key Biscayne, Florida
Surface: Hard Court
Website
Past Winners: Marion Bartoli (2000); Caroline Wozniacki (2005); Michelle Larcher De Brito (2007); Roger Federer (1998); Andy Roddick (1999); Robin Soderling (2001); Marcus Bagdhatis (2003); Bernard Tomic (2007)
and for the 12 and 14 year old set…
Junior Orange Bowl (note, the 12′s is not an ITF Grade A Event)
When: December
Where: Coral Gables, Florida
Surface: U14 Boys and Girls – Hard Court; U12 Girls – Clay; U12 Boys Hard Court
Age Groups: Under 14, 12
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
Website
Past Winners: Oliver Rochus (1995); Juan Del Potro (2002); Bernard Tomic (2006)
8. Italian Open – Trofeo Bonfiglio
When: May
Where: Milan, Italy
Surface: Clay
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
ITF Level: A
Website
Past Winners:Ivan Lendl
9. Osaka Mayors Cup
When: October
Where: Osaka, Japan
Surface: Hard Court
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Doubles
ITF Level: A
Website
Pat Winners: Viktoria Azarenka; Marin Cilic
10. Prince Cup
When: December
Where: Miami, Florida
Surface: Hard Court
Events: Boys Singles, Girls Singles
ITF Level: G4
Website: (Still looking!)
Past winners: (Still looking!)
Found a mistake in this post? It is possible! Like many of our readers, I still have much to learn about competitive junior tennis. If you’ve found something, I’d be grateful if you’d correct it in the comments section. I admit, any mistakes here are mine. – Nicole
