The Boys' Junior National Tennis Championship ( the USTA Boys 18s and 16s National Championships and nicknamed Nationals at the Zoo) takes place on the Kalamazoo College campus in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

. This United States Tennis Association (USTA) event is one of the most important competitions for male 16- and 18-year-olds tennis players, attracting 400 to compete from across the country.

History

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body in the United States for the sport of tennis. The USTA was originally known as the United States National Lawn Tennis Association in 1881. The name was changed first to U.S. Lawn Tennis Association, and to the present name in 1975. The USTA has 17 different sections in different parts of the country, including: New England, Eastern, Middle States, Mid-Atlantic, Southern, Florida, Caribbean, Midwest, Northern, Missouri Valley, Texas, Southwest, Intermountain, Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Southern California, and Hawaii Pacific. Each of these sections have different regulations and procedures, but they all share the same mission statement: Each of the sections was started at a different time, as interest in the sport grew in that location. The USTA Midwest Section started in 1910 as the Western Lawn Tennis Association at the Chicago Beach Club in Chicago, Illinois. It originally controlled all of the tennis clubs west of the Alleghenies Mountains, and had great influence over the USTA at national meetings. When the USTA Midwest proposed a national

clay court A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Clay courts are made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate depending on the tournament. ...

championship in 1910, the USTA agreed without dissent. In the 1920s, tennis became very popular in America and they started to train junior players. Originally the tournament was held at West Side Tennis Club in Forrest Hills, New York from 1916 to 1920 and then again in 1927. It moved to Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Massachusetts from 1921 to 1923. From 1924 to 1926 it was at South Side Tennis Club in Chicago, Illinois. Then it was at Culver Military Academy in

Culver, Indiana Culver is a town in Marshall County, Indiana, United States. Culver is part of Union Township, which also includes the communities of Burr Oak, Hibbard, Maxinkuckee and Rutland. The population of Culver was 1,129 at the 2020 United States Censu ...

from 1928 to 1942. Due to WWII, it was necessary to move the tournament from a military base. Dr. Allen Stowe influenced the USTA to relocate the tournament to Kalamazoo College, where he was a coach.

Nationals at the Zoo

In 1943, the first "Nationals at the Zoo" ("Zoo" for

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

, Michigan) had 90 entries for the two age divisions: 18 and under and 16 and under. The event has become one of the most-important events for juniors, attracting 400 players from across the United States. The event takes place over a ten-day period from which there are winners in singles and doubles tennis. The winners from the 18 and under tournament automatically receive a bid into the main draw of the U.S. Open Tournament. Many great names in men's tennis have participated in the competition. Past Participants include

Rod Laver Rodney George Laver (born 9 August 1938) is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was the world number 1 ranked professional in some sources in 1964, in all sources from 1965 to 1969 and in some sources in 1970, spanning four years befor ...

, Barry MacKay,

Stan Smith Stanley Roger Smith (born December 14, 1946) is an American former professional tennis player. Smith is best known to non-tennis players as the namesake of a popular brand of tennis shoes. A world No. 1 player and two-time major singles cham ...

Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was an American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam singles titles. He started to play tennis at six years old. He was the first black player selected to the Unite ...

Jimmy Connors James Scott Connors (born September 2, 1952) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 ...

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...

, Aaron Krickstein,

Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors. Agassi is the second of five men to ach ...

, Jim Courier,

Pete Sampras Petros "Pete" Sampras ( el, Πέτρος Σάμπρας; born August 12, 1971) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating longtime rival Andre ...

, James Blake, Andy Roddick,

Bob and Mike Bryan The Bryan brothers, identical twin brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, are retired American professional doubles tennis players and the most successful duo of all time. They were born on April 29, 1978, with Mike being the elder by two minutes. ...

, Mike Franks, Jack Sock, and

Jon Douglas Jon Alexander "Jack" Douglas (September 10, 1936 – July 27, 2010) was an amateur American tennis player and college football quarterback. Early life Douglas was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the only child of Dortha and Gordon Douglas. In 1 ...

. All of these prominent tennis players participated in the tournament, though only Laver (1956), Smith (1964), and Sock (2010, 2011) won the boys' 18-and-under National Championships for singles. Kalamazoo College's facilities include the Stowe Tennis Stadium which has eleven well-maintained hard courts outside, with seating for 3,000 spectators. The Markin Racquet Center has four indoor courts. Nearby

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

has made available their 20-court Raymond Sorensen complex for the growing tournament.

Similar events

There are many events that are similar to the Junior National Tennis Championship. Girls' Championships have a similar event that takes place every year in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

for 16- and 18-year-olds. Along with having these great events in the US, there are also events all around the world. In Europe, there are tournaments for boys and girls. These events come in different age groups such as 12, 14, 16 and 18-and-under.

References

Tennis Europe Junior Department
Retrieved October 26, 2008.
USTAUSTA2USTA3
Retrieved October 16, 2008.
USTA Boys' 18 & 16 National Championships: Home
Retrieved July 25, 2016 * Wagner, Bob. "The Nationals and How They Grew in Kalamazoo." Kalamazoo: J-B Printing, 1992. 7, 9–10. {{Refend

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Tennis tournaments in the United States Tennis, Boys

Ten Ten, TEN or 10 may refer to: * 10, an even natural number following 9 and preceding 11 * one of the years 10 BC, AD 10, 1910 and 2010 * October, the tenth month of the year Places * Mount Ten, in Vietnam * Tongren Fenghuang Airport (IATA code ...