From Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev to Victoria Azarenka and Karolina Pliskova, the recent history of Australian Open junior champions is full of names who have gone on to become major players only a few years later.
Taking place on the outside courts around Melbourne Park, the boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles tournaments offer a unique chance to spot some of tennis’ future stars before they hit the big time. After all, back in 1998, a then unknown 16-year-old named Roger Federer competed in the Australian Open boys’ event, losing in the semifinals.
From the top seed who describes himself as a lion on the court to Rafael Nadal’s 14-year-old protege, here’s just a few of the rising stars to check out over the next few days.
1. Harold Mayot
Mayot, 17, is tipped to be the next big thing of French tennis after an impressive 2019 which saw him reach the semifinals of junior Wimbledon and claim a prestigious junior title in Osaka. He’s already made decent strides on the professional tour, achieving a career-best ranking of No.527 after making the quarterfinals of the Bendigo Challenger earlier this month, where he tested world No.81 Steve Johnson. With a tattoo depicting the king of the jungle on his back, Mayot has compared his on-court intensity to that of a lion, and he is determined to win his first junior Grand Slam this week. As top seed in both the boys’ singles and doubles, he’s a big favourite for both titles.
MORE: AO2020 boys’ singles draw
2. Robin Montgomery
Still only 15, Montgomery is a flashy left-hander with a penchant for hot shots. She won the legendary Orange Bowl crown last month – arguably the biggest tournament in junior tennis outside of the slams – to top off a fine season which also saw her win the junior Fed Cup title as part of the victorious USA team. Seeded second in the girls’ singles in Melbourne, she could well add to her burgeoning reputation this week.
3. Leandro Riedi
Not every 18-year-old gets to tune up for the first junior slam of the season with a pep talk from Federer, but then Riedi is one of a collection of Swiss youngsters who are thought to have the talent to achieve big things in the game. During the off-season, Team Federer invited Riedi to stop off in Dubai on his way to Australia for a training camp, an opportunity he unsurprisingly jumped at.
“I learned a lot from Roger and practice was really fun,” said Riedi, who is seeded sixth in the boys’ singles this week. “I asked him about playing and winning in the fifth set, how hard it is and his mindset in that moment. We talked, talked and talked.”
4. Alexandra Eala
At the tender age of just 14, Eala is four years younger than many of her rivals in the girls’ singles, but her talent has already been recognised by the Rafael Nadal academy where she trains as a full-time scholar. The first Filipina to compete at a Grand Slam since 1991, Eala comes from a sporting family – her mother was a swimmer who raced internationally – and she has the ability to contend for the title in Melbourne.
MORE: AO2020 girls’ singles draw
5. Martin Damm
Tennis is in the genes for big-hitting left-hander Damm. His father – also named Martin – reached a high of No.42 in the ATP rankings back in 1997 and won the US Open doubles title in 2006. As an infant, Damm accompanied his dad to most of the Grand Slams, and more than a decade later, he’s already forging his own reputation on the tour. The American reached the semifinals at both the junior French Open and junior Wimbledon last year, and will be hoping to finally land his first major title in Melbourne.