In junior tennis, one number decides almost everything: your ITF world junior ranking.
Academies recruit on it. Federations select on it. University coaches award scholarships on it. And you can only earn it by flying to sanctioned tournaments and winning matches, which means the deciding factor in a young African player's career is very often not talent, but a plane ticket.
Helen is 12 years old, from Accra, Ghana. She is ranked number one in the country in her age group, has won six tournament championships, and represents Ghana. She has, in short, already won everything there is for her to win at home.
International junior tennis has an age floor: no player may enter an ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors event until their 13th birthday. Helen reaches hers in a year. This project funds the period either side of that date: the preparation that gets her ready, and the season that turns readiness into an international ranking.






