By Briana Adamovsky
From The Desk Of Adrienne Treado
If you are serious about becoming a top tennis contender it is time to think international and enter ITF Junior Circuit tournaments. The ITF Junior Circuit is a series of tournaments that take place all over the world for boys and girls’ singles and doubles. The tournaments aim to improve competitive opportunities and develop skills for players ages 18 & under. Overall, the level of competition is more advanced, since players come from all over the world, including tennis dominant countries such as France, Russia, Serbia and Spain.
The International Tennis Federation is the world governing body of tennis and is the organizer of the Junior Circuit tournaments. With an objective to further grow and develop tennis worldwide, the ITF oversees the administration and regulation of international tennis, and organizes international competition with the goal of promoting the game. This year there are five ITF Junior Circuit tournaments in the United States alone, the first taking place on March 24 in Bryan, Texas. Multiply this number by the various participating countries and the result is a plethora of international competition to choose from.
The benefit of attending ITF Junior Circuit tournaments is not only to develop skills and experience other cultures. College coaches, especially at the Division I level, recruit players with high ITF rankings. A ranking under 200 is preferred at the top Division I level and a ranking in the top 300 is preferred by Division I programs overall. However, having ITF experience alone boosts a recruit’s resume in the eyes of a college coach. Results from the Junior Circuit tournaments are fed into a computer to produce the Combined Junior World Rankings. Coaches review Junior World Rankings on a regular basis to scope new talent and follow current recruits. This ranking is the sole junior ranking published by the ITF. The introduction of the Combined Junior Ranking aims to encourage the doubles game at junior level, which is also a factor that increases recruiting potential in the eyes of a college coach.
Enhance your tennis experience, as well as recruiting potential and explore the level of international play. More information on ITF Junior Circuit tournaments is available at http://www.itftennis.com/juniors/.
Source: http://www.iftennis.com/juniors/
