Tseng Chun Hsin brought down the curtain on his junior career by crooning on stage alongside Liang En Shuo and Mu Tao at the players’ party on the final night of the 2018 ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu.

It might have been viewed as quite a departure for someone who has been nicknamed The Machine in some circles due to his relentless approach to the game and clearly possesses intense focus.

Those traits no doubt contributed to Tseng, of Chinese Taipei, winning back-to-back Junior Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2018 – the first boy to do so since Gael Monfils in 2004.

But the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals, as it is now known, is a different tournament and allows players – the best the junior ranks have to offer – to emerge from their shells and personalities to develop and flourish.

Tseng finished as runner-up in the Far East after losing to American Brandon Nakashima in the final, although that setback failed to dent the teenager’s charge towards the year-end No.1 spot in the boys’ rankings.

Such output also saw Tseng crowned 2018 boys’ ITF World Champion. He was unable to attend July’s celebratory dinner in Paris due to his High School graduation, although, knowingly or otherwise, his charisma again shone through in his acceptance video.

“Chengdu was my last junior tournament and I ended my junior career with such great memories,” Tseng told itftennis.com. “It was such fun having the best 16 players in one place – talking, doing activities and having fun together.

“It is a very good event and significant for any upcoming junior player. Only the best young players in the world compete there and it is a great way to improve.

“The tennis is great and an important learning experience. My main memory of the whole tournament was the Tweener point I won against Hugo Gaston in the semi-finals – a very good point.

“But it is much more than just tennis. There is the visit to the panda sanctuary, although, unfortunately, they were all sleeping last year, and the draw ceremony where we all dressed in traditional Chinese suits. I have great memories.”

This season’s edition will be the fifth instalment of the competition, and, regardless of which year group is consulted, there is no shortage of players willing to extol the tournament’s virtues.

Austria’s Jurij Rodionov, meanwhile, competed in Chengdu in 2017, finishing sixth as Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland was crowned boys’ champion after beating world No. 1 Wu Yibing in the final.

“It was the first tournament I played which was so professional and high profile,” Rodionov told iftennis.com. “It was a fantastic week to experience, so much fun and, looking back, I’m so pleased that I qualified.

“It was amazing and the players were the centre of attention. It made me realise how good it could be to be a tennis player at a high level and it gave me huge motivation for the future. Both on and off court, it’s a great opportunity.”

American Michael Mmoh contested the inaugural ITF Junior Masters in 2015 and, like Rodionov, finished sixth, although the 21-year-old has since gone on to feature in the main draw at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open on multiple occasions.

“I remember it being one of the coolest events to play as a junior,” Mmoh told itftennis.com. “It was pretty amazing and you felt like a pro. Being a part of an elite group at such a young age gave me huge confidence.

“Junior tennis generally is great preparation for your future career. Getting big wins and playing the Junior Grand Slams before you go pro is vital as you know what it entails playing and performing on those courts. The ITF Junior Finals fall into that bracket also.”