News

Four of Scotland’s most talented junior tennis players will take to the court at the Brodies Invitational, 13 – 15 June, 2019 at the Gleneagles Arena.

Lucia Rizza (16) (Firrhill High School, Edinburgh) Scotland’s leading female tennis player at under 16s and under 18s will be joined by the top three leading male junior players; Jacob Fearnley (17) (Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh) who reached round 16 of the Australian Junior Open Championships earlier this year, Connor Thomson (18) (Beaconhurst School, Bridge of Allan) who has made his debut on the GB Pro-Series Circuit and Charlie Miller (16) (Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh), ranked top 3 in Scotland under 18s and recently achieved a career high ranking of No.4 in the UK under 16s.

The four juniors will play a combination of doubles and mixed doubles with tennis legends including Henri Leconte, Thomas Enqvist, Dominique Monami.

In addition to the exhibition, the juniors will also take part in a coaching session with Tim Henman and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is playing at the Brodies Invitational for the first time.

Taking time out of busy tournament schedules, the junior fixtures will allow tennis fans to see the legacy that Tennis Scotland is developing as the sport continues to grow in popularity.

For Jacob and Connor, the Brodies Invitational will be their main warm-up ahead of Junior Wimbledon where they hope to build on their debuts from the previous year.

Blane Dodds, CEO of Tennis Scotland, said: Blane Dodds, CEO of Tennis Scotland, said: “At Tennis Scotland we have a very clear focus on increasing participation twinned with growing the sport’s profile and performance by developing tennis across all ages and abilities. Brodies’ commitment to tennis in Scotland, from grassroots level through to demonstrating Scotland’s ability to host world-class events like the Brodies Invitational, is so important for our sport and we are delighted that this year’s event will once again showcase some of our best junior players.
“We are also very excited by the prospect of Leo Azevedo, head coach at the GB National Tennis Academy at the University of Stirling, being reunited at the Brodies Invitational with former world number 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who he worked with in the past. It’s just another great reason to look forward to what should be a brilliant three days of tennis and entertainment.”

Adding to the focus on junior potential, Judy Murray will deliver a masterclass live on the Brodies Invitational centre court on Thursday 13 June. Judy will explain some of the key techniques and skills required by our junior players to reach the top of the game. She will be joined on court by Fed Cup coach, Colin Fleming.

Nick Scott, Brodies’ managing partner, said: “The junior matches are definitely some of the most popular over the course of the two days and we look forward to welcoming Lucia, Jacob, Connor and Charlie to the Brodies Invitational as they prepare for a busy summer season.

“We believe that businesses have a responsibility, and can make a real difference, to sport in Scotland. Whether that be at grassroots level and encouraging people to be active, or as we see in those juniors taking part in the Brodies Invitational, supporting them and helping to build a legacy for which we can all be proud.”

Established in 1997, the ATP Champions Tour spans the globe with former champions competing in tournaments in cities including London, Brussels, Palma de Mallorca, Mexico and Delray Beach. The Brodies Invitational is the tour’s only Scottish date, where former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, former British No. 1 Tim Henman former World No. 4 and 2016 Brodies Invitational Champion, Thomas Enqvist former World No. 5 and crowd-favourite, Henri Leconte and Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse will all compete for the title of Brodies Invitational Champion. They will be joined by eight-time ATP World Tour doubles champion and Fed Cup coach, Colin Fleming, GB Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong and former Belgian Fed Cup captain Dominique Monami.

The Brodies Invitational supports the Judy Murray Foundation as its charity partner. Tickets can be purchased online.