British Tennis Forum - Celebrating 20 Years!

Valdmannova has confirmed this is her last junior event (she's only got 6 months to go anyway) - last year's semi-finalist, she's been playing pretty well this year, and gives a very funny account of yesterday's match:

She [Vladson] fell apart on her own. [laughing] I kept a poker face the whole time because I knew that would bother her the most. I always get a boost when my opponent is frustrated. I know her, I knew thats just how she is, said Vendula Valdmannová, who lost only two games in the match.

The Czech junior feels right at home on grassafter all, it was here she reached her best-ever Grand Slam result, a semifinal last year. I was really looking forward to this. I screamed at home that I wanted to play Wimbledon as my last junior tournament. And knock on wood, its going well so far, Valdmannová said happily.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 10th of July 2025 07:01:05 AM

Coup Droit wrote:

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Just for context, the last 8 standing above are not the 8 'best' junior players, in that the following junior age players are not taking part, having moved on from juniors, notably:


2007-born

WR 7 - Mirra Andreeva

WR 89 - Iva Jovic

WR 135 - Tereza Valentova

WR 282 - Alina Korneeva

WR 327 - Renata Jamrichova

and many more


2008-born

WR 280 - Tyra Grant

WR 276 - Laura Samson

WR 304 - Wakana Sonobe


Also, nearly all the Russians are missing (visa problems again, I assume) - Oktiabreva, Golovina, Zolotareva.... as well as Mariella Thamm

The only player from the list above in a country with a Grand Slam is Iva - remains to be seen whether she bothers with the US Open juniors - I can't see it in a month of Sundays but might be wrong - obviously Mimi did, but she's not got the same ranking profile as Iva

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 Yes but Mimi is doing just fine! She is having a bit of a smoosh with the media at present, fuelled by Tennis Wales who cant seem to get enough interviews with her! Talking about the support she is getting On and off the  court, having the best manicure at Wimbledon, how she thinks she is now a professional tennis player. Interestingly how she walks onto court with a confidence she hasnt had before. Loving the media. I think it is starting to show on court now. confidence is growing where she feels she can show what she can do. 

Coup Droit wrote:

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indiana wrote:

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Interesting. CD.

I guess sort of similar to the Junior Davis and Billie Jean Cups being for U16s, the Slams ( clearly more particularly with the girls ) would be more of a gude to the best at the age if for U16s rather than U18s. But traditionally they are of course U18 ( at the start of the year ) tournaments.

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Yes - there are SO many top players (in the girls) who aren't playing, and not just those in their last year of juniors 

The Eastern European girls traditionally often drop out of juniors early (for financial reasons, it's always said)

But Sonobe, Jovic, Grant etc are not Eastern European, and are some of the younger ones too, and aren't playing  

The junior grand slam champion is certainly not the best 18U player (but, with Mirra around, not even looking at the others, that's been ultra obvious for a while :) ) 

The juniors are good events, I enjoy them, they're useful, but I don't think they show very much about the very top level, either now or to come (i.e. they give a guide, but nothing more)   

 ADD: playing your home grand slam, Var, is very different - that's why I mentioned that of all the top juniors not playing juniors any more, only one has a home grand slam (Iva). Equally, Mika and Mimi have neither of them played any juniors this year but are appearing at Junior Wimbly (I don't expect Iva to, in September but she may, but she has a very different profile). Federations sometime insist too.  

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Thursday 10th of July 2025 07:14:40 AM

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 Agree CD. I wondered if they were obliged to take part. So where as junior slams have been a barometer for predicting future stars, their relevance is waning?

 

Tbf there is a fair list of Slam girls winners having such senior careers. Just from a wiki list I see ( and I may have underestimated some early 2000s winners ):

Jankovic, Bartoli, Kirilenko, Azarenka, A Radwanska, Pavlyuchenkova, Wozniacki, Halep, Svitolina, Jabeur, Barty, Bencic, Kasatkina, Ostapenko, Badosa, Anisimova, Gauff, Swiatek

Not a bad list though yes of course there are many Slam girls winners who haven't made it to such an extent in seniors and certainly many who have absolutely made it who never won junior Slams.

Junior Slams will always have relevance. It will be there for posterity showing who won. Not many get to boast that they have held a slam title

either in Juniors or Seniors.

I understand that several players have by-passed the Junior ournaments for varying reasons but this has always happened to a certain degree.

There will always be a lot of top juniors (whether grand slam winners or not) who don't make it in seniors just because of the numbers v age problem

i.e. juniors basically revolves every two years - age 15-17 (it's very rare for 14 year-olds to be in the top 10 and also rare, especially in the girls for 18 year-olds)

So every two years (sometimes one) you've got a new top-10/top-20

BUT you don't have a new top-10/top-20 of women players every two year - players come and go, obviously, but it's far more stable

So you can't fit 8 batches of top-10 juniors into 16 years of top-10 adults

As Indy says, there is a reasonable correlation - and IMO it's getting more - because a lot of youngsters never used to go to Australia, for instance, there's now far more money in tennis fullstop, so some of that filters down to the juniors etc. But there's still a fair few who buck that trend. And still more who don't do well than who do (because of the numbers problem)

And, yes, DF there is a kudos in winning a grand slam but, as said, for many that's not that important, they can't afford for it to be - hence why they didn't used to go to Australia, hence for the Eastern Europeans who need to win money moving over quicker....

And it's not just 'several' who aren't playing, it's about 20 top girls who aren't playing (haven't worked it out for the boys)