Special from
Zoo Tennis
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For the boys atop the International Tennis Federation junior rankings, the traditional pathway to professional success had required a lengthy stretch on the ITF men's World Tennis Tour, playing $15,000 and $25,000 events that seldom offer enough prize money to cover their expenses. The meager ATP points at that level meant playing week after week, hoping to accumulate enough points to compete at ATP Challengers, where prize money and hospitality mitigate the financial burden, and one title can produce more points than three or more WTT titles.
Great Britian's Charlie Robertson
© Zoo Tennis
Two years ago, sensing the progress of top junior boys was stalling at that entry level, the ATP introduced a new pathway for highly-ranked junior boys, collaborating with the ITF on a program giving them more opportunities to compete immediately at the Challenger level.
"With the Junior Accelerator Program, if you finish top 20 year-end as a junior, you get opportunities at the Challenger level," said James Marsalek, ATP Senior Manager, Tour Development. "We always wanted to give players a level up, wherever they were competing. If you're ranked 700 in the world and you haven't played that much, you can get that opportunity to compete against better players at the Challenger circuit."
