[Dodoboy.]

Teenage champions? Girls at 15, 16 winnings titles and slams. Girls bursting on tour in their first year as a pro. Would it make the tour more exciting?

 

[Sammo]

It would definitely make the tour much more exciting.

 

[ViennaCalling]

The players: Yes

15- or 16-year old girls winning GS: No

 

[FleetSeb]

Yes. But it will never happen now. The physicality of the game is at such a level that you need the stamina of at least an 18 year old to win many tough matches in a row.

Also it certainly made for more injurious careers for some players so perhaps its a good thing they are less likely to put so much pressure on their bodies so young.

 

[NashaMasha]

opening this thread without Martha's photo is ridiculous

 

[Petronius]

You bet. Hingis herself said that as a teenager she had no fear and respect and played freely without any 'old-age' mental limitations. And the results were stellar.

More child prodigies please.

 

[Nicolás89]

opening this thread without Martha's photo is ridiculous

She was old compared to the others. :shrug:

 

[Dodoboy.]

opening this thread without Martha's photo is ridiculous

She was 17, basically an OAP in comparison

Also, if we look at stats, she's not QUITE comparable to the three listed.

 

[Dodoboy.]

I definitely think we need more of these! The tour would be so much more exciting, I can't imagine following tennis the year Capriati broke through at 14 years old on her first year on tour, how exciting would that have been. Same for Hingis! Would be surreal for it to happen now. It'd have to be a ball-basher zoning.
Future
America won't produce them, Britain definitely won't. There'd be too much pressure on the young players.

I think if we ever get one it will be from China or some lesser Country.

 

[Nicolás89]

I definitely think we need more of these! The tour would be so much more exciting, I can't imagine following tennis the year Capriati broke through at 14 years old on her first year on tour, how exciting would that have been. Same for Hingis! Would be surreal for it to happen now. It'd have to be a ball-basher zoning.
Future
America won't produce them, Britain definitely won't. There'd be too much pressure on the young players.

I think if we ever get one it will be from China or some lesser Country.

Nicole Vaidisova ended her first year on tour with 2 titles and as a top 80.

 

[NashaMasha]

She was 17, basically an OAP in comparison

Wimbledon winners

2. Martina Hingis 1997 16 years 9 months (AO 16 years and 4 months )
3. Maria Sharapova 2004 17 years 2 months

yes......much, much older, moreover Pova is the last teenager to win a majore

 

[RenaSlam.]

 

[MrSerenaWilliams]

Wimbledon winners

2. Martina Hingis 1997 16 years 9 months (AO 16 years and 4 months )
3. Maria Sharapova 2004 17 years 2 months

yes......much, much older, moreover Pova is the last teenager to win a majore

Trying too hard

The fact is, the OP said 15,16. Not 17.

 

[VSFan1 aka Joshua L.]

Yes, I do miss it. It's caused a lot of lackluster "pizazz" on the tour.

 

[NashaMasha]

Trying too hard

The fact is, the OP said 15,16. Not 17.

"A teenager, or teen, is a young person whose age is between thirteen and nineteen (13-19). They are called teenagers because their age number ends in "teen". Someone aged 18 or 19 is also considered a young adult."

Origianal poster said about teenagers winning tennis trophies. 16,5 or 17,2 is just for those who love statistics

 

[Tennis Fool]

Mirjana Lucic won her first ever WTA title at 15. But her father beat her :shrug:

 

[bobito]

You also have to ask "do we miss this?"

 

[Petronius]

I definitely think we need more of these! The tour would be so much more exciting, I can't imagine following tennis the year Capriati broke through at 14 years old on her first year on tour, how exciting would that have been. Same for Hingis! Would be surreal for it to happen now. It'd have to be a ball-basher zoning.
Future
America won't produce them, Britain definitely won't. There'd be too much pressure on the young players.

I think if we ever get one it will be from China or some lesser Country.

Preventing a child prodigy from playing more tournaments is like prohibiting a 15-year-old Mozart from composing more than 10 music works per year. :shrug:

And it definitely hurts the depth and popularity of the women's game.

From a Wall Street Journal article:

"For a sport that has thrived on the appeal of pigtailed prodigies like Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis, the lack of precocity is unwelcome at best and at worst, a serious danger to the popularity of the women's game".

And from another article:

"Sanex measured the time Hingis is actually on TV globally, said Ingrid Bentzer, director of tennis sponsorships for Sanex, and found that she literally was televised more hours than anyone else in the world."

"Hingis is simply the most well-known, most-shown face in TV all over the world," Bentzer said.

This shows that a teenage prodigy can do miracles for the popularity of the WTA and the female tennis, surpassing actors, politicians, musicians in terms of TV coverage and global reach.

 

[pesto]

Yes, I miss it. The excitement of a new, fearless young star being born, seeming like nothing can stop them.

Robson will be back into the top 100 next week, and be the youngest at 18, and it's not really a very thrilling start to her career.

But is it worth it? Is it too risky and irresponsible? Or just physically impossible with the professionalism of today's game?

It seems to have happened very fast. Even a few years ago, well after Sharapova, teenagers were breaking into the top 100 much more frequently. Now it's rare, in both the men's and women's game.

 

[tejmeglekvár]

No.
17-18 year olds making waves? Yes.