Will Federer’s new successor or Williams be on the right track at Emilylord this week? “Anything is possible, it starts with these kinds of tournaments,” says Jan Hovland, who is organizing an international youth tennis tournament with Erwin de Bordere for the second time.
The ITF4 tournament started on Sunday with the qualifiers, next Sunday the finals in the tennis hall on Pilotenweg. If you want to see youth tennis with international appeal, you should be there this week. To clarify: The level of ITF1 is Wimbledon. “This is a serious issue,” Hofland said. “These boys and girls are good at tennis.” The tennis player, who took first place in the tournament, is number 190 in the world youth ranking. All boys and girls are between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.
Too busy
The early days were very busy in the tennis hall. Then there are the qualifying rounds and the start of the main tournament ensures a busy schedule. A total of 120 young tennis players take a chance to win the jackpots, the maximum that Jan Hovland can lose in a week. Tennis is also a traveling circus among young people. After Emmeloord continue to The Hague or Luxembourg. The majority of participants come from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, but there are also participants from India, Canada and the United States.
On the first day, around noon, the businessman is busy stringing a racket. “It should be done in no time and well.” He listens closely. They hold their own strings. Some players have separate threads for length and width. The day started early for Hovland and de Bordier, and it’s going to be a busy week. Outside, on the gravel, two girls are hitting. It may be because of the nice weather. Inside, all the lanes are occupied, and qualifications have lasted for a few hours into the noon.
tennis heart
Last year, Hovland and de Bordier organized this tournament for the first time. Lelystedeling De Boerdere has been organizing international tournaments for a longer time and the guys have known each other for many years. When the Tennis Association got on the line if they were interested, they agreed. They plan to host the tournament for many years to come. “Because we have the heart of tennis players,” Jan Hovland says. De Bordere: “It went really well for both sides last year. We want to help Dutch talent get to a better position in the world rankings. They believe in the positive image that such a tournament emits.” If the sport is in the news positively, it attracts more beginners “.
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