What is the Junior Accelerator Programme?

The Junior Accelerator Programme has been in place since 1 January 2023 and rewards the best-performing juniors – boys and girls – each year with exposure to higher-level competition.

The Junior Accelerator Programme replaced Junior Exempt positions which were previously offered to the best-performing junior players, although the new programme – which operates in collaboration with the ATP and WTA – offers far greater rewards.

The underlying principle is to ensure aspiring talent has the opportunity, encouragement and support to advance in their career and progress along the player pathway.

In short, the initiative is designed to accelerate the progression of the world’s best boys and girls as they take important steps within professional tennis and continue their quest to reach the game's summit.  

What does it mean for boys finishing within the year-end Top 20?

Each player ranked within the Top 20 of the year-end ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings is granted up to eight Accelerator Spots at ATP Challenger Tour 50 and 75 tournaments the following season.

These will be split between main draw (boys finishing within the Top 10) and qualifying (boys finishing 11-20 in the rankings), with players also eligible for two Accelerator Spots at M15 or M25 ITF World Tennis Tour events.

Players ranked 21-30 in the year-end ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings are eligible for eight spots at M15 or M25 events the following calendar year.

And for girls finishing within the year-end Top 20?

For each player ranked within the Top 20 of the ITF World Tennis Tour girls’ rankings, there are five opportunities to access main draws at women’s events on the ITF World Tennis Tour – from W15 to W100 level, depending on ranking.

Girls finishing in the Top 20 are entitled during the next calendar year to use their Accelerator Spot to gain direct entry to the main draw of an applicable tournament which they would otherwise not the eligible for based on WTA, ITF or national ranking.

Who has been awarded Accelerator Spots in 2024?

Boys

By finishing in the Top 10 of the ITF World Tennis Tour boys’ rankings, the following players are eligible for eight ATP Challenger 50 or ATP Challenger 75 main draw Accelerator Spots and up to two main draw places at M15 or M25 events.

Joao Fonseca (BRA), Rodrigo Pacheco (MEX), Joel Schwaerzler (AUT), Yaroslav Demin, Cooper Williams (USA), Henry Searle (GBR), Federico Cina (ITA), Juan Carlos Prado Angelo (BOL), Darwin Blanch (USA) and Ilyan Radulov (BUL).

Additionally, the winners of boys' Grand Slam singles events earn the equivalent places of a Top 10-ranked player regardless of their year-end ranking, while boys' Grand Slam singles runners-up earn the equivalent places of an 11-20 year-end ranked player.

Girls

Having finished 2023 as the year-end No. 1 girl, Alina Korneeva has earned a main draw place at three ITF World Tennis Tour events up to and including W100s, and two tournaments up to and including W75s in 2024.

USA’s Clervie Ngounoue, meanwhile, finished No. 2 in the 2023 year-end rankings, earning main draw places at two tournaments up to and including W100s and main draw places at three tournaments up to and including W75s.

Renata Jamrichova (SVK), Laura Samson (CZE) and Lucciana Perez Alarcon (PER), who finished No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 in the 2023 year-end rankings respectively, have earned main draw places at ITF World Tennis Tour events on a sliding scale. 

Sara Saito (JPN), Kaitlin Quevedo (ESP), Sayaka Ishii (JPN), Hannah Klugman (GBR) and Tereza Valentova (CZE) finished Nos 6-10 in the year-end rankings. They have earned main draw places at two events up to and including W50s and main draw places at three events up to and including W35s.

Who made the most of their Accelerator Spots in 2023?

Using their Accelerator Spots:

Women:

Celine Naef (SUI) won W40 Porto (January 2023)

Lucie Havlickova (CZE) reached the semi-finals at W100 Trnava (May 2023)

Sara Saito (JPN) reached the quarter-finals at W40 Hong Kong (August 2023)

Men:

Alexander Blockx (BEL) won M25 Glasgow (October 2023) and M25 Sunderland (November 2023)

Gerard Campana Lee (KOR) won M25 Anseong (June 2023)

Martyn Pawelski (POL) won M25 Netanya (June 2023)

Arthur Gea (FRA) won M25 Heraklion (November 2023)