Photo: Gyles Dias
This May, Tennis Canada will host three development camps for its U15 Prospect Team members spanning Halifax, Toronto, and Montreal. Tailored to players aged 10–14, these camps are designed to help each athlete reach their highest potential on and off the court.
Transitioning players into the next phase of their development is the core focus of the U15 program. Under the guidance of Tennis Canada’s High-Performance staff, athletes are supported along a pathway to international competition and the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers, which prepares junior players for a successful professional career in tennis.
Kicking off in Halifax from May 8–9, the prospect team athletes born in 2010 will train at the Atlantic Tennis Centre before they compete in the ITF J30 Halifax tournament from May 13–17. Meanwhile, camps in Toronto and Montreal follow a slightly different format, dividing the remaining cohort in two, with the boys training in Toronto from May 21–24 and the girls in Montreal from May 27–30. Tennis Canada’s Head of U15 Development, Jocelyn Robichaud, said:
“The national camps are a key stepping stone in player development at this stage. It is a great opportunity to improve key foundational skills across the program and to provide a personalized training approach to each unique player. We have a very talented group; we aim to further improve their skills and foster a culture of teamwork and passion through these camps over the next few weeks.”
Each camp is designed to reinforce tennis fundamentals, provide a competitive training environment, and provide a holistic approach to development using the Whole Player Development Pathway as a guide. Similar camps were held with impressive results last fall.
The success of the U15 Canadian Prospect Team relies on ongoing and transparent communication between all parties involved. Tennis Canada considers frequent and honest conversations with private sector coaches, players, and players’ families a key factor in the strength of this initiative.
On top of participating in the national camps, some members of the prospect team are invited to international tours and matchplay opportunities led by Tennis Canada, which are designed to foster player development, test their abilities at an international level, and build character on and off the court.
This program continues to guide players along a pipeline to professional careers and development as well-rounded athletes. Key components of its design include supporting the unique needs of each player and working closely with their coaches.
Canada’s U15 Prospect Team is currently comprised of 69 junior players from across the country. In total, 31 girls and 38 boys are set to take part in the camps this spring.
List of players:
Meika Sebastian
Matthew Popa
Karina Berska
Andreas Mjeda
Clara Vicol
Amy Shen
Isabella Ruyu Yan
Rachel Wu
Alden S. K. Yu
Luca Vicol
Liam John Suh
Lucian Enns
Kristian Jin Nygaard
Ciena Yoo
Mila Ajdukovic
Arthur Zhyznomirskyy
Joni Faye Colburne
Brielle Amey
Milagros Pastuszka
Tessa Sari Puente
Dongchen Ding
Jasmine Li
Payton Charley Dith
Deniz Karabulut
Ilya Sherifali
Callum MacKinnon
Julian Mahdavi
Nikola Bogojevic
Damian N Smith
Oscar Sounitsky
Daniel Kamhi
Eli Thomas Marks
Milan Grabovica
Kaleb Machado
Timofey Dobrovolsky
Emma Cuirassier
Victoria Koniouchine
Camille Michel
Elisabeth Djabourian
Medina Jingan
Leylatou Aliassime
Eve Thibault
Sophia Xie
Alyssa Beltei
Ngodo Yvan-Raphael Mefire
Ethan Levy
Gordon Dankov
Ryder Danis
Julien Gagnon Joachim Marx
Marc-Edouard L’allier
Tristan De Cande
Philip Vujicic
Alexandre Collin
Nathan Berneron
Antoine Tardif
Quentins Wang
Nathan Nguyen
Raphaelle Bruneau
Maya Iacoban
Catherine Xie
Ezio Thiboutot
Amalia Bakumenko
Alexie Duclair
Emma Ciobanu
Romy Gravenor
Ethan Yichen Guo
Catherin Racu
Nolhan Assonzon Nyambioh
Olivier Charest
