Presents from Janko: New Traditions of the North Palmyra Trophies tournament
The champions of the second junior North Palmyra Trophies are Yaroslav Demin and Daria Shadchneva. This tournament has become a vibrant continuation of the tennis traditions in the Northern capital, adopting global standards set by the St. Petersburg Open and St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy and creating new ones.
The junior tournament, held at the same high level as the professional team competitions, is one of them. Many of the young players experience the familiar routine of tennis tournaments for the first time, including interviews, press conferences, and additional off-court activities, learning how to conduct themselves in public. At the same time, throughout the tournament, they practice on the courts alongside professional players, absorbing skills and gaining experience.
«We provide an opportunity to watch our best juniors, whom we rarely see in the public. Mostly, we track their successes through reports on the ITF website. We believe it is important to support the younger generation by organizing such a tournament for them. We are confident that these young talents will make a name for themselves in the professional tour soon, standing alongside our current champions who are admired worldwide», says Natalia Kamelzon, the CEO of the organizing company ‘Formula-TX’.
The former world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic was the captain of one of the teams last year. He watched the junior final closely and surprised everyone at the award ceremony – organizers, spectators, and the competition champions. Tipsarevic presented Grigory Shebekin and Ksenia Zaitseva with one month of free accommodation and training at his academy in Belgrade.
The Serbian player returned at the second international North Palmyra Trophies team tournament and decided that good traditions should be continued. «The week I spent at the tournament last year was one of the best, truly. Everything was great: the level of organization, the balance between a relaxed atmosphere and the competitive tension within the team. This was especially valuable given the challenging global situation. I had the absolute feeling that by participating in this tournament together, we show the world that tennis in Russia is alive, thriving, and bringing people together», Tipsarevic shared his memories.
Regarding how the junior tournament champions spent their time in Belgrade, he added, «You better ask the kids if they enjoyed it. The feedback they gave us was very positive. Everyone enjoyed Belgrade and the academy. As you know, we are a place where the development of professional players takes place. I have nothing against commercial academies, but that's not what we do».
Grigory Shebekin appreciated the gift: «The academy is very cool, I liked everything. I was coached by Lalic. He guided me in this academy, gave a lot of tips. When I left, they sent me a list of recommendations with advice what to work on. I haven't encountered such an approach in other academies and really appreciated that. In my free time I went to the old part of Belgrade to walk – it is a very beautiful place. So, I would gladly return to the academy».
This year, the hospitable Serbian also invited all the finalists and winners of the junior tournament - Yaroslav Demin, Egor Pleshivtsev, Daria Shadchneva, and Victoria Milovanova - to live and train for free in his academy in Belgrade for a month.
The junior tournament, held at the same high level as the professional team competitions, is one of them. Many of the young players experience the familiar routine of tennis tournaments for the first time, including interviews, press conferences, and additional off-court activities, learning how to conduct themselves in public. At the same time, throughout the tournament, they practice on the courts alongside professional players, absorbing skills and gaining experience.
«We provide an opportunity to watch our best juniors, whom we rarely see in the public. Mostly, we track their successes through reports on the ITF website. We believe it is important to support the younger generation by organizing such a tournament for them. We are confident that these young talents will make a name for themselves in the professional tour soon, standing alongside our current champions who are admired worldwide», says Natalia Kamelzon, the CEO of the organizing company ‘Formula-TX’.
The former world No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic was the captain of one of the teams last year. He watched the junior final closely and surprised everyone at the award ceremony – organizers, spectators, and the competition champions. Tipsarevic presented Grigory Shebekin and Ksenia Zaitseva with one month of free accommodation and training at his academy in Belgrade.
The Serbian player returned at the second international North Palmyra Trophies team tournament and decided that good traditions should be continued. «The week I spent at the tournament last year was one of the best, truly. Everything was great: the level of organization, the balance between a relaxed atmosphere and the competitive tension within the team. This was especially valuable given the challenging global situation. I had the absolute feeling that by participating in this tournament together, we show the world that tennis in Russia is alive, thriving, and bringing people together», Tipsarevic shared his memories.
Regarding how the junior tournament champions spent their time in Belgrade, he added, «You better ask the kids if they enjoyed it. The feedback they gave us was very positive. Everyone enjoyed Belgrade and the academy. As you know, we are a place where the development of professional players takes place. I have nothing against commercial academies, but that's not what we do».
Grigory Shebekin appreciated the gift: «The academy is very cool, I liked everything. I was coached by Lalic. He guided me in this academy, gave a lot of tips. When I left, they sent me a list of recommendations with advice what to work on. I haven't encountered such an approach in other academies and really appreciated that. In my free time I went to the old part of Belgrade to walk – it is a very beautiful place. So, I would gladly return to the academy».
This year, the hospitable Serbian also invited all the finalists and winners of the junior tournament - Yaroslav Demin, Egor Pleshivtsev, Daria Shadchneva, and Victoria Milovanova - to live and train for free in his academy in Belgrade for a month.
