The Tim Essonne is an international junior tennis tournament for players aged 12–14, held in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in the U14 circuit of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.[1]
The event has seen a number of its champions go on to become professionals, such as Richard Gasquet and Rafael Nadal who won the tournament in 1998 and 1999 respectively.[1][2] Other notable participations were Roger Federer in 1994 and Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2012.[3] Future World No. 1s Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo, and Justine Henin also participated.[4]
History edit
The tournament was created in 1983, at the request of Jean-Paul Loth (then national technical director) and Albert Guilbert (president of the Ligue de l'Essonne).[5]
The competition has been classified as a grade 1 of the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, a rank it has held since its creation in 1983 thanks to the accommodation and catering offered to participants and coaches.[1][5] As a grade 1 tournament, Tim Essonne has a lot of points to offer in the U14 Junior Rankings; for instance, in 2017, Max Westphal from Esson went from 77th to 6th place in Europe after reaching the final.[1]
The tournament was initially called simply Tim, then Tim 91, and finally renamed Tim Essonne. Its success has continued to grow since its creation. In 35 years, the number of participating nations has increased from 5 to nearly 50.[5]
Results edit
Girls edit
Boys edit
Other notable participations edit
| Year | Participant | Nationality | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Iva Majoli |  Croatia
|
Semifinals |
| 1992 | Amélie Mauresmo |  France
|
Quarterfinals |
| 1994 | Justine Henin |  Belgium
|
Semifinals |
| 1995 | Nicolas Mahut | France
|
Second round |
| 1995 | Marta Marrero |  Spain
|
Round of 16 |
| 1997 | Gilles Simon | France
|
Quarterfinals |
| 1998 | Tomáš Berdych |  Czech Republic
|
Second round |
| 1999 | Gaël Monfils | France
|
Round of 16 |
| 2001 | Adrian Mannarino | France
|
Semifinals |
| 2004 | Pierre-Hugues Herbert | France
|
Second round |
| 2004 | Grigor Dimitrov |  Bulgaria
|
Second round |
| 2004 | Simona Halep |  Romania
|
Round of 16 |
| 2006 | Garbiñe Muguruza | Spain
|
Second round |
| 2007 | Annika Beck |  Germany
|
Round of 16 |
| 2009 | Daniil Medvedev |  Russia
|
Quarterfinals |
| 2012 | Stefanos Tsitsipas |  Greece
|
Second round |
Organization edit
The Tim Essonne is one of the most important tournaments in its age category. Its sponsors and long-standing institutional partners are: The French Tennis Federation, the General Council of Essonne, the Departmental Youth and Sports Directorate, the commune of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois. In addition, the tournament can also count on its numerous volunteers who have been present every year since its creation.[7]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois: le tournoi Tim Essonne, une fabrique de champions" [Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois: the Tim Essonne tournament, a factory of champions]. www.leparisien.fr (in French). 4 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "TIM ESSONNE - Palmarès de 1983 à 2023" [TIM ESSONNE - Prize list from 1983 to 2023]. www.tournoi.fft.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Nadal en 1999, Federer en 94... Les 40 ans du TIM Essonne démarrent ce jeudi" [Nadal in 1999, Federer in 94... The 40th anniversary of TIM Essonne starts this Thursday]. actu.fr (in French). 9 February 2023. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "C'est reparti pour un Tim" [Here we go again for a Tim]. www.essonne.fr (in French). 22 February 2022. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b c "L'histoire du Tim" [The history of a Tim]. www.essonne.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "Ils ont participé au Tim Essonne" [They participated in the Tim Essonne]. www.tournoi.fft.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023..
- ^ "Comite du tournoi 2023" [Tournament Committee]. www.tournoi.fft.fr. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.