Great Britain’s junior tennis stars excel across the world in 2024

Many of the British juniors are supported as part of our Performance Pathway for both junior and professional players – including the National Age Group Programme, Loughborough University National Tennis Academy, Men’s & Women’s Programme, Pro Scholarship Programme presented by Lexus and the Wheelchair Performance Pathway.

These programmes aim to give players the support and tools they need to become the best they can be both on and off the court.

Across the action-packed junior tennis calendar this year, many young Brits have got their hands on silverware at the highest level and five junior players have finished the season inside the ITF top 30 this year. Here’s a rundown on some of the highlights from 2024.

Junior success at all four Grand Slams

Great Britain had representation in junior finals in all four Grand Slams this season – the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Mika Stojsavljevic was crowned the girls’ singles champion at the US Open in September – becoming the first Brit to win the title for 15 years.

She defeated junior world No.10 Wakana Sonobe of Japan 6-4, 6-4 to etch her name in the history books alongside previous British winner, Heather Watson (2009).

The 15-year-old’s title run has led to her being nominated for The Times’ Young Sports Person of the Year 2024.

Stojsavljevic was also a finalist in the girls’ doubles at Wimbledon this year, with fellow Brit and Junior Billie Jean King Cup teammate Mimi Xu.

They were the second all-British pair to make the final in the last two years after Hannah Klugman and Isabelle Lacy in 2023, but eventually finished runners-up in a close match with USA’s Tyra Caterina Grant and Iva Jovic 7-5, 4-6, 10-8.

At the start of the year Viktor Frydrych became the first British player to make the Australian Open boys’ doubles final since Liam Broady in 2012, teaming up with Czech Republic’s Petr Brunclik.

The British, Czech duo finished as runners-up against Maxwell Exsted and Cooper Woestendick 6-3, 7-5.

In wheelchair tennis, Ruben Harris clinched the inaugural Roland Garros boys’ wheelchair doubles title – combining with Austria’s Maximilian Taucher to become the first champions at the event.

There were more notable Grand Slam performances throughout the season as well, with both Xu and Charlie Robertson both making the semi-finals of the US Open junior singles draws as well.

GB make history in team events

Across all age groups, the British teams had some amazing results across the Tennis Europe Winter and Summer Cups, as well as the ITF World Junior Finals.

The GB teams are supported by world class coaches and staff from the LTA Performance team.

The Winter and Summer Cups are the premier team events in Europe at 12U, 14U and 16U level, played in two stages – qualifying and the finals.

The 16U GB girls’ team became the first British side to win the 16U Summer Cup this year at the finals in Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic.

Led by Stojsavljevic, Klugman and Hollie Smart, the British team beat Spain and Germany before an impressive 2-0 victory against Romania in the final.

Our 12U girls’ team – including Naina Kapoor, Dasha Jones and Sophia Cuninghame – also won the Winter Cup this year at the Silksworth Community Pool, Tennis & Wellness Centre in Sunderland.

The 14U boys’ side had a standout season as well, making the final and finishing runner-up at both the Winter and Summer Cup.

All three members of the team – Niall Pickerd-Barua, Scott Watson and Eric Lorimer – have finished ranked in the top four in the 14U Tennis Europe boys’ singles rankings.

Finally, the 14U girls’ team – Megan Knight, Daniella Britton and Liv Zingg – finished third at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, with the boys’ side coming in fifth.

Lexus Junior National Championships showcase Britain’s best

The Lexus Junior National Championships are always a highlight of the junior tennis calendar and this year the event proved bigger and better than ever.

Bringing together the top players across the nation from the 11U to 18U age groups, the National Championships are the highest level of junior competition in Britain – with past champions including Andy Murray, Heather Watson and Dan Evans.

At the 16U and 18U level, the National Championships also offer players the chance to clinch wild cards for Wimbledon.

In the 18U event, Xu was crowned girls’ singles champion after saving a match point to win an epic final against Klugman 6-7(4), 7-6(7), 6-4, while Oliver Bonding won the boys’ singles with a three-set win over Robertson.

Middlesex’s Smart and Surrey’s Mark Ceban won the 16U singles events, and Knight and Watson were victorious in the 14U tournaments. Check out all the 10U-12U title winners here.

Brits shine at biggest junior events in the world

Bonding made history earlier in the year as he became the first British Boy to win the J500 Blumenau title – also known as the Banana Bowl – since 2010.

The 16-year-old Briton dropped just one set en route to the biggest title of his career – finishing with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Naoya Honda at the final in Brazil.

There was more historic success at the 14U Tennis Europe Masters this year, with British winners in both singles draws.

Unseeded Knight became the first British player to win the girls’ singles trophy after an impressive 6-1, 6-4 win over third seeded Czech Katerina Zajickova.

Meanwhile, Watson sealed the British title double after he defeated Spain’s Toni Escarda Piñeiro in the final at the Monte-Carlo Country Club.

Watson also finished runner-up at this year’s 14U European Junior Championships, with British teammate Pickerd-Barua making the semi-finals as well.

Find out more about our player pathways and how we’re supporting and developing British junior talents as both players and people.

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