Smrikva Bowl Tournament

Smrikva Bowl is a tennis festival for the youngest talented players, considered one of the most particular under 10 tennis tournament in the World.

Founded in 1996, the Smrikva Bowl is an annual international children’s tennis tournament and festival taking place in Smrikve.

The initial decision was to organize a first-class tournament specialized for children under 10.

The tournament continued to grow every year and in 2005, for the 10th annual, the Smrikva Bowl attracted top players from over 20 countries and 3 continents.

For the 12th annual, the Smrikva Bowl attracted for the first time players from Africa. We had a player from South Africa and 4 continents were represented.

For the 13th annual, the Smrikva Bowl had for the first time players from Australia. There were 5 continents and 24 countries represented. Right from the beginning the first prize has traditionally included a mountain bike.

For the 14th annual, we had again 24 countries represented… the 15th annual was the record year with 32 countries represented, while for the 16th annual there were again almost 30 countries represented in the draws…

On the 17th annual, we had 33 countries and over 40 players formally ranked #1 in their countries… it was the first time in the Smrikva Bowl history that in the quarterfinals there were still players from 5 continents represented…

On the 18th annual, there were 37 countries and 5 continents represented and again over 40 players formally ranked #1 in their countries…

On the 19th annual, there were 35 countries and 5 continents represented and for the first time over 60 players formally ranked #1 in their countries…

On the 20th annual, there were 42 countries and 5 continents represented and for the second time over 60 players formally ranked #1 in their countries…

On the 21st annual, there were over 40 countries and 5 continents represented and for the third time over 60 players formally ranked #1 in their countries…

On the 22nd, 23rd and 24th annual, there were over 40 countries again and 6 continents represented… and for the fourth time over 60 players formally ranked #1 in their countries…

25th Smrikva Bowl 2020 and 26th annual were not held due to corona virus pandemic…

On the 27th annual, there were over 30 countries and 4 continents represented and over 50% of the players were formally ranked #1 in their countries…

On the 28th annual, there were over 35 countries and 5 continents represented with over 50% of the players were formally ranked #1 in their countries…

… since 1996 Smrikva Bowl attracted top players from 101 country and all the continents.

Smrikva Bowl was born with the vision of promoting values which reach beyond all frontiers, the Cosmopolitan values. Children, sport, culture and music are part of the Cosmopolitan World.

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Smrikve, January 2010

INSPIRING… SMRIKVA…

… an inspiring tennis festival… When I think of Smrikva Bowl I try to imagine it as a theater where every year we work hard to set a stage where the world’s talents can gather… Every year we gather all these different actors, great talents, very special kids, arriving from different cultures, having different dreams,…

We set the stage and later on they are in charge with their will, dreams and hard work… they are the ones who write the most different stories…

Smrikva Bowl is still very young tournament but I would like to think that some of these kids will write nice and inspiring stories in most different professional fields.

I also know that according to the statistics only few of the kids participating Smrikva Bowl will make it to become top professional tennis players, but I like to think that they will make it in other professional fields they choose in their lives.

I was recently reading Andre Agassi’s book and through the whole book he was repeating to friends and people meeting during his life that he doesn’t like tennis thus it seems to me that he never had the option to choose, but in end he ended up being the Champion and according to Luke Jensen a person with big heart and very good friend.

I will never know how many kids playing Smrikva Bowl are playing it because their parents would like them to become professional tennis players and how much of them play it because they enjoy the game.

What I do know is that any kind of sport can help kids in their growth and I also know that people that do excel in any field require total dedication and a lot of sacrifice to reach the excellence.

When I think of Andre’s words of not loving what he was doing for most of the time of his life I start thinking of other 90% of people around the World that make for living doing jobs they do not like, but “La vita e’ bella” Roberto Benigni would say and tennis helped Andre to grow up.

There is one part in the book that I liked a lot… it is about inspiration, faith and what does it mean to be a good coach… to have the right word in the right moment… this part is related with Gil… and is about people that do believe in other people and help them to write their life stories and to write their own one…

Here are Gil’s words reported by Andre in his book when he accepted to coach him:

“I’m not one of those people who expresses or articulates feelings very well, but from now on, just know this: It’s on, man. It is on.

You know what I’m saying? We’are in a fight, and you can count on me until the last man is standing. Somewhere up there is a star with your name on it. I might not be able to help you find it, but I’ve got pretty strong shoulders, and you can stand on my shoulders while you’re looking for that star. You hear? For as long as you want. Stand on my shoulders and reach, man. Reach.”

In every life there are people that influence what we do and how we do it.

The Smrikva Bowl festival would like to inspire its players and Ambassadors to beleive in their dreams and work hard to reach them.

Sport and music are in general good educators and the vision of sport prefered in Smrikve is the one Nelson Mandela once said:

“Sport has the power to change the world, the power to inspire and the power to unite people in a way little else can – it is an instrument of peace.”

Miodrag Bozovic