The 53rd edition of the “Copa del Café” (Coffee Bowl) tennis event at the Costa Rica Country Club will kick start on Monday, January 2nd.

This junior tennis tournament is an International Tennis Federation Grade 1 Junior Circuit and is considered to be one of the best in the world, supported by the tennis federations of many countries and the oldest of its kind in Latin America, receiving entries from more than 40 countries every year.

The event is only open for players 18 years or younger in categories 18U and 14U, Boys, Girls and Doubles.

The Costa Rica Country Club features 10 outdoor courts and 4 indoor hard courts, the attending public also has access to different food trucks and stands in the areas around the courts. This event receives about 3,000 spectators each day.

Tickets are sold online through the E-ticket platform and have a cost of between $12-$15.00 USD for the night games (starting at 6 p.m.), entrance is free for the early matches (8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)

The Coffee Bowl / Copa del Café 2017 will feature 354 players from 58 countries. “Players that participate in this event could very well be in two or five years the next Roger Federer of world tennis. Any of this kids 15 to 18 years-old have the technique and physical power of any professional tennis player, the difference is just in the maturity”, said Luis Esteban Fernández, president of the Coffee Bowl.

In fact tennis star Roger Federer participated in the Copa in 1996, back then he didn’t make it past the third round; we all know what happened next.

Other famous tennis players that participated in previous editions of the Coffee Bowl include: Juan Martin del Potro, Tommy Haas, Ivan Lendl, Bjorn Borg and in the female category, Victoria Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva among others.

Adriana Muñoz, Tannia Aizemann, Ericka Chavarría and Sofía Gómez are the seeded female representatives for Costa Rica, while Diego Chavarría, Sebastián Quirós, Alejandro Piedra and Felipe Cruz are the male seeds for the country.

Argentinian Francisco Vittar is the first seed in the tournament, and is currently 35 in the world ranking, while Ellie Douglas from the United States is the first ranked in the female category, she is number 19 in the world.

The Coffee Bowl will extend from January 2 to the 7 at the Costa Rica Country Club in Escazu.