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At the turn of the century, an international union was formed that didn't get worldwide recognition. It was between two people who were leaders in under 10 tennis.

One was Carol Weyman, now Vice President of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation, most known for the "Little Mo" tournaments for young players. The other was Miodrag Bozovic, tournament director of the Smrikva Bowl, an event for the best 10 and under players in Europe.

The two tennis heavyweights decided to play an exhibition between the best four from each. It continued for years, forming a bond across the ocean for these athletes that went unnoticed by many.

On their own, top players have come through these two organizations. Andy Roddick won "Little Mo," as did Steve Johnson, who won four NCAA Championships with his University of Southern California team before becoming a Top 50 pro. Recent Wimbledon quarterfinalist Vasek Pospisil was also a "Little Mo" champion.

As for Smrikva Bowl, 15 Junior Grand Slam event titles were won by participants, and nine players reached the Top 100 on the professional tour.

These numbers don't seem like a lot in comparison to 18 year olds who played an international junior event, but these were eight year olds.

The "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl is no longer played because junior tennis has become international, even for those under 10. "Little Mo" now has events in which it welcomes foreign players, and the Smrikva Bowl tournament currently includes in its draws players from out of Europe, including the United States.

While the platform for junior tennis has now taken on an international flavor for players as young as seven, you cannot discount the effect that this exhibition had, especially in 2006.

I was in Pula, Croatia, in 2006 for the "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl that year. Bozovic and his family generously put me up in their home. I got to know those players well that week. I also fell in love with the region of Istria, Croatia.