From late-April, members of Tennis Canada’s U15 Prospect Team took part in three development camps across three cities, with the intention of these camps being to strengthen tennis fundamentals while providing a competitive training environment.
At the heart of the U15 program is progressing players into the next stage of their development, providing a pathway to international competition and the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers. Under the direction of Tennis Canada’s High-Performance staff, this readies young athletes for a strong professional tennis career.
Tennis Canada’s Head of U15 Development, Jocelyn Robichaud, spoke about how the camps are beneficial to the young prospects:
“The national camps are a key stepping stone in player development at this stage. They are essential in creating a sense of Team Canada belonging as well as incorporating Tennis Canada's culture with core values on how we want players to represent Canada on the international stage.”
Toronto, Halifax, and Montreal were the hosts of some of Canada’s best up-and-coming players aged 11 – 14 as five provinces were represented over the three events.
The camps began in Toronto at Sobeys Stadium from April 28 – 30 with the girls on the Prospect Team born in 2012 and 2013. Six of the Top 10 ranked girls in the U12 junior singles rankings attended, including No. 1 Callie Raharinosy (Ont.) and No. 3 Janelle Mao (Ont.).
From May 8 – 9 at the Atlantic Tennis Centre in Halifax, the camp featured boys and girls born in 2011. A few players who participated were fresh off a win at the Fischer Indoor National Championships in early-April; U14 boys singles champion Alden S.K. Yu (B.C.) and U14 girls singles champion Tessa Sara Puente (Ont.).
May’s final camp was held in Montreal at IGA Stadium from the 19 – 21 for the boys on the Prospect Team born from 2012 – 2014. All the players in the Top 3 of the boys U12 junior singles rankings were present; No. 1 Aidan Xue (B.C.), No. 2 Daniel Marinov (Ont.) and No. 3 Vlad Lupu (Alta.).
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In addition to these national camps, some players on the Prospect Team will also compete internationally to further promote player development, gain experience on the international level, and build character on and off the court.
Over the course of those eight days, 42 players participated in the national camps, split between 19 girls and 23 boys. Of those athletes, 38 were official members of U15 Prospect Team.
List of Players:
Clara Vicol
Emma Cuirassier
Victoria Koniouchine
Brielle Amey
Angelica Panzieri
Janelle Mao
Yasmine Souissi
Bishop Grossutti
Vera Wing
Paris Radovic*
Alessia Lungu
Amelia Simutin
Callie Raharinosy
Charlotte MacDonald
Gordon Dankov
Ryder Danis
Elisabeth Djabourian
Alden S.k.Yu
Nikola Bogojevic
Lucian Enns
Amy Shen
Deniz Karabulut
Ilya Sherifali
Lynn Ke
Tessa Sari Puente
Stefan Djuricic*
Milan Grabovica*
Kristian Jin Nyygard
Mila Ajdukovic*
Ngodo Yvan Raphael Mefire
Arthur Zhyznomirskyy
Ethan Levy
Liam John Suh
Damian N Smith
Oscar Sounitsky
Nolhan Assonzon
Aidan Xue
Vlad Lupu
Zalic Tremblay
Marco Bryan
Dustin Huang
Daniel Marinov
*Was a guest at the camp and not an official Prospect Team player
Feature Photo: Darren Calabrese
