Developing the future of Canadian tennis. Foster growth and a love for the game with fun, accessible events for young players.

JUNIOR COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE

The Rogers First Set Tour – Rookie is a national program designed to bridge the gap between entry-level tennis and the provincial competitive junior circuit. Originally launched in 2009, the tour has reached thousands of juniors each year at tennis clubs and community venues throughout the country. Last year over 6,000 boys and girls across the country competed in over 450 events. The Rogers First Set Tour – Rookie encourages players to continue through the tennis pathway to transition to sanctioned competition or enjoy tennis for life.

The Rogers First Set Tour – Rising Stars provides young Canadian tennis players (ages 7 to 10) with an opportunity to play competitive tennis in a fun environment. Last year approximately 1,000 boys and girls across the country competed in almost 400 events. Rising Stars tournaments are the perfect opportunity for young tennis players to improve their skills and make new friends. The Rogers First Set Tour – Rising Stars is designed to provide a tournament format for kids whereby they take part in multiple meaningful matches in a short block of time, making it convenient for families.

National Bank Little Aces is a player identification and development program for 7 to 10-year-olds. The program aims to improve the overall development of these young participants with the goal of inspiring them to compete at the international level. This will lead to a much larger pool of young competitors, ultimately resulting in fostering a stronger U15 Canadian pipeline and increasing the number of Canadians competing internationally.

OBJECTIVE CRITERIA & METRICS
Little Aces selections and subsidy will be in collaboration with the Provincial and Territorial Tennis Associations (PTTAs) in BC, ON and QC.
PLAYER ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Little Aces will offer various activities throughout the year to create a sense a belonging within the program and stimulate competitiveness. The increased regional visibility of the program will provide more accessible training and engagement opportunities for young athletes nationwide.
INTEGRATION WITH THE WHOLE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY (WPDP)
Understanding that there are multiple pathways to becoming a pro (ex. early specialization, multi-sport), the program will target U8 and U10 competitive players identified by the PTTA's.

The national junior competitive structure pathway is designed to increase the base of players, retain them throughout the system, and assist them to reach their potential across all stages of the Whole Player Development Pathway (WPDP) from active start to active to life as a pro. This includes a competitive structure pathway aimed to identify current and future Next Gen players and assist them to develop and transition to the Pro game. This section provides information on the Indoor and Outdoor Fischer Junior National Championships, National Junior Open Series events, and the overall national calendar of events.

QUALIFYING FOR FISCHER JUNIOR NATIONALS

Juniors must qualify through their Provincial Tennis Association process (contact your Provincial Tennis Association for more details).

There are qualifying events preceding the U16 & U18 Indoor and Outdoor Fischer Junior Nationals main events. Draw sizes are limited and will be based on National Bank Rankings. To be eligible to enter players must have participated in their Provincial Qualifying process and not secured a place in the main draw.

RESOURCES

National Junior Series

A series of three National Junior Open Series take place across Canada in July and August.

JUNIOR COMPETITION RESOURCES & POLICIES

Tennis Canada provides programs and benefits for high performance athletes who participate in the Junior Nationals and meet designated performance standards.

Adhering to the Junior Nationals Participation policy is a requirement to be eligible for the programs and benefits listed below: