News

11/11/08

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update November 2008)

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #934 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006. Vilim Visak is currently ranked #385 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Natali Zuliani, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Zeljko Peric, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #465 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 on WTA list in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1998 – 3rd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Filip Kovacic, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Mateja Horvat, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player. His best ranking was around #800 on WTA list.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Borko Mudronja, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1945 on ATP list. Deni Zmak is currently ranked #1067 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #375 on WTA list.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy. Adelchi is very talented player that continues to be injured.

GIRLS
Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #619 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #22 on ITF ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1660 on ATP ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #214 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #695 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is currently ranked #859 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #1877 on ATP list.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #798 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #973 on WTA list.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #880 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jordaan Sanford, played 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #1133 on ITF ranking list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #10 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #573 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #48 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. George Morgan won Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 14 age group.
Ciprian Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #613 on ITF ranking list and and is ranked #4 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #1079 on WTA list.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #910 on WTA list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #973 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett Egger, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #36 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #552 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #134 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #136 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #423 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #145 in under 16 cathegory.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #23 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska Gavrilovska, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #19 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, is ranked #36 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel Polnet, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #335 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Rayan Andrada, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #708 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Blair Shankle, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #19 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #619 on ITF ranking list.
Anna Mamalat, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #34 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

IN 2005 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 3 CONTINENTS

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #5 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #7 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #2 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Harry Busby, ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from UK, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Nikola Milojevic, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #1 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska Gavrilovska, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #19 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Olga Yanchuk, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #6 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #332 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #158 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #49 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #91 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #2 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Eleanor Dean, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Great Britain, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Dina Paocic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #122 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #73 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #25 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Christina Makarova, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #7 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #49 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

2007 – 12th Smrikva Bowl and 6th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Sacha Merzetti, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Bogdan Borza, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Gonzalo Morell, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Sergiu Bucur, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Virginia Pena, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Spain, is ranked #251 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ana Konjuh, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Nina Potocnik, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is ranked #421 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Katie Dayson, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from UK, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Eduardo Nava, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #24 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy Paul, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #51 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ndindi Ndunda, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #50 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #241 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

IN 2008 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 5 CONTINENTS AND TURNED INTO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 – 13th Smrikva Bowl and 7th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Luka Panic, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Switzerland, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Mihnea Turcu, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Grega Kokalj, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Andrea Guerrieri, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Katarina Jokic, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Maia Lumsden, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Scotland, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Viktoria Kuzmova, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovakia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Estela Perez Somarriba, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justine Lee, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #136 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
William Blumberg, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ingrid Neel, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #31 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #506 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Please visit www.smrikve.com to learn more about Smrikva Bowl, one of the most important under 10 tennis tournaments in the World, and Villa Smrikve and future Smrikve Village, for your accommodation in Stinjan (Pula) if you decide to spent your holiday in Istria, Croatia. In Villa Smrikve you can enjoy tennis, sea, good istrian food, Smrikve wine and olive oil, and events in Pula and Istria.

03/11/08

A nice article about Justin Lee and William Blumberg - 7th"Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players

I received today a newspaper from Justin Lee’ father David that was published in the Greenwich Time newspaper in the USA on 20th of October 2008., and write about Justin and William Blumberg that played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl representing the “Little Mo” team.

In 2002, the Smrikve Tennis Club joined forces with the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and created the first-ever international competition between the United States and Europe for boys and girls under 10 and named it the “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl. The “Little Mo”/ Smrikva Bowl has become a unique and already traditional meeting of the youngest and most talented players in the World.

When “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl was created the Smrikva Bowl was a European tournament. Since Smrikva Bowl has grown in a global under 10 tennis competition gathering top players from 5 continents.

On the picture below there are players that competed in the 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl 2008: Maia Lumsden, Katarina Jokic, Luka Panic, Mihnea Turcu, William Blumberg, Paulina Ferrari, Ingrid Neel and Justin Lee.

Enjoy the article prepared by Colin Gustafson.

Brunswick students seek to continue tennis success
By Colin Gustafson – Staff Writter

At 10 years old, William Blumberg and Justine Lee have been swinging tennis rackets for only few years now, but their backhands and drop-shots are already starting to win points in Greenwich and overseas.

After earning top spots in a national competition, the Brunswick Middle Schoolers were the only two players chosen to represented the United States in this summer’s “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl international contest in Pula, Croatia.

Facing players from two dozen countries, the Greenwich boys together placed sevent overall in singels – netting the highest score for an American team since the international tournament started in 2002.

“It was awesome representing the U.S.” against youth players from countries like Switzerland or Romania, Lee said, especially considering “some people never get to play tennis outside Greenwich.”

The boys were selected for the contest in July after placing in the top ranks of the 2007 “Little Mo” tournament, a competition for players age 7 to 11 held in more than two dozen towns across the country every summer, culminating in a fall Nationals contest in Austin, Texas. The tournament is named after Mareen Connolly, the first woman to win tennis’ Grand Slam at age 18 in 1953. Fromer world champion Andy Roddick competed as a boy in the 1992 “Little Mo”.

With a new American record in the “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl under their belts, Blumber and Lee are now setting their sights on the 2008 competition, at home and abroad.

Over the summer, Blumberg advanced from the “Little Mo” easter sectionals in Mount Kisco, N.Y., to the norhter regionals in Hogwood. Ill. That earned him the chance to compete in the “Little Mo” finals this weekend in Austin.

“All I hope is I do well,” Blumberg said Tuesday, noting that he had been working to improve his footwork on the court as well as strengthen his volley during his two-hour practice seccion, four days a week. “I’ve gotta get my game shaped up.”

Lee, meanwhile, is preparing to travel overseas again to enroll in the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris. He won a certificate to attend the elite tennis school for free for one week as a reward for finishing in first place in the 10-and -under boys’ bracket of another contest this summer, the OUATT Kids Cup in France.

“The trainers there are really strickt, but really good.” he said. “I’ll be pushing myself to try as hard as I can for them.”

The week end after this article was published William Blumberg won “Little Mo” Nationals in under 10 age group and Ingrid Neel, another “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl player, reached the finals in the same age group.

29/10/08

Katarina Jokic - 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner - obtained Wilson sponsorship contract

Katarina Jokic won 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and one of the new prizes that we had this year for the winners was Wilson sponsorship contract.

I just received Katarina’s photo with her new Wilson bag and racquets. Katarina’s father told me that she is enjoying to play with K-Faktor racquet. He explained to me that Keti’s strokes are deep, more precise and stronger compared to the strokes she had in the past. Katarina received four racquets, two bags, many strings and overgrips.

Next year Katarina’s brother will play Smrikva Bowl and I will have the opporutnity to see Katarina again in Smrikve. I am always glad to have the opportuntiy to see again the former Smrikva Bowl player.

27/10/08

Nina Marjanovic - thanks to the Smrikva Bowl experience - also trained at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris

Niona Marjanovic had the opportunity to train for two weeks at prestigous Mouratoglou Tennis Academy near Paris.

From this year one of Smrikva Bowl new friends is also Patrick Mouratoglou and he offered to the Smrikva Bowl winners this extraoridinary prize. The winner and one person are hosted for a week in the Academy.

Every Smrikva Bowl player was informed about this opportunity and to every player during the registration was presented the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

Nina Marjanovic is the best player in Serbia in her age group and she also played this year Smrikva Bowl. Nina is a kid that always smile and after the Smrikva Bowl her family decided to stay for few more days in Pula and to train in Smrikve. In those days they asked me about the opportunity to go to Paris that I explained to Nina during the registration for the Smrikva Bowl.

The family Marjanovic asked me more information about the Academy and explained to me that they have lived in Paris and that they have an apartment there, so for them would be nice to apply for two weeks training.

I promissed to them that I would have checked with the Academy about the costs for their stay and I would have informed them about the opportunity.

Patrick Mouratoglou decided to offer to Nina two weeks of training in his Academy for free. Nina was very happy and thanks to this opportuntiy Nina and this was another gift we had the opportunity to give to another Smrikva Bowl player.

Nina was in the Academy at the end of August when also Katarina Jokic, the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner was in the Academy, so took the opportunity to visit Paris’ tower and also Disneyland.

In the Academy they had the opportunity to meet and make a photo with Marcos Baghdatis, one of the players that has grown in Mouratoglou’s Academy.

Here is the letter I received for Nina regarding this tennis experience for her and those that understand Serbian can read it:

24. avgusta posetila sam Tenisku Akademiju Patrik Moratoglou.

Svideli su mi se svi treneri, a najvise mi se svideo moj trener tenisa Rudolf. Akademija je velika, ima 14 terena, 2 bazena. Videla sam Patrika, njegovu zenu i cerke. Slikala sam se sa Markosom Bagdatisem.

Najnaporniji bili su mi kondicioni treninzi. Sve vezbe su mi bile podjednako dobre. Upoznala sam puno drugara. Svi su me obozavali. Hrana mi se nije narocito svidela. Kada sam imala slobodno vreme sa drugarima igrala sam stoni tenis.

Mnogo sam zavolela Akademiju. Osecala sam se kao kod kuce. U toku druge nedelje dosli su nam prijatelji iz Bosne tj. moja drugarica Katarina sa roditeljima. Upoznali smo se u Puli, ucestovale smo na Smrikva bowl. Sa njima smo posetili Pariz. Isli smo na Ajfelovu kulu, obisli smo Diznilend.

Katarinu sam upoznala sa Akademijom. Zajedno smo trenirale tih nedelju dana. Kada smo imale slobodno vreme igrale smo badminton. Bilo mi je jako zao kada smo 6 septembra morali da krenemo kuci.

Jako bih volela da ponovo posetim Akademiju.

Nina Marjanovic

12/10/08

In Smrikve started the collection of olives that will end up in bottles of olive oil for the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 Ambassadors

Today in Smrikve we started to collect olives, the 2009 Smrikve olive oil production. In Smrikve we produce Istrian olive oil.

During the Smrikva Bowl we use to give to every Smrikva Bowl Ambasador a bottle of oil as a memory to their Smrikva Bowl. In this days we started the process that will end with transforming the olives into oil for the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 players and Ambassadors.

The tradition of olive oil production developed in Istria during the time of Emperor Augustus. Thanks to the olive oil Pula was one of the richest towns in the Roman Empire. Istrian olive oil was considered among the best in the Empire and also the amphorae production was very important in the village nearby Pula named Fazana.

In 2005, for the 10th Smrikva Bowl anniversary, we started a tradition of planting an old Olive tree. The Olive tree selected needs to be older than the oldest man living on the earth today.

During the ceremony, every Ambassador put a tiny part of land close to the root of the Olive tree and said his or her name. This way the tree gets the names and a piece of soul of each Ambassador.

The Olive tree is a symbol of peace. The age of the tree is a symbol of intergenerational responsibility. Every person is born without knowing anything about life on this earth and it is the responsibility of every generation to understand and to learn to preserve all that each of us is born with, so as to possibly improve it prior to departing.

The people that planted Smrikva Bowl Olive trees for the first time are no longer among us and the message this Olive tree transmits to the Ambassadors is that intergenerational responsibility alone will allow future generations to enjoy the beauty of life, the sunsets and the seasons of the earth.

The Lion King cartoon is an artwork and many life messages one can find in it and most of them are in line with the Smrikva Bowl. They are in line with the message of the Ambassadors’ Olive Tree; they are in line with the values of friendship and love; they are in line with empathy. Love, friendship and empathy are all Cosmopolitan values per excellence, as far as people and humanity are concerned.

The relationship between Mufasa, Sarabi and Simba reminds me of both: parents and family love, but also about the intergenerational responsability.

Timon, Pumbaa and Simba relationship remineds me about love between friends. Pumbaa also make me think abuout empathy, intuition and loyalty.

The relationship between Simba and Nola reminds me again about the importance of love.

Rifiki, the wise old baboo, with his many centuries old tree remineds me about the importance of the knowledge and experience of the older. There are many other particular moments that every person on its own, based on his or her own life experience, discover by watching these artworks.

You might be interested to know that most of the characters’s names in this cartoon have a particular meaning in Swahili language: Simba means “lion”; Nala means “gift”, and love is for me one of the greatest gifts that people can receive and give during their life; Sarabi means “mirage”; Pumbaa means “dull-witted” or “stunned”; and Rafiki means “friend” :).

As I wrote above every person is born without knowing anything about life on this earth and it is the responsibility of every generation to understand and to learn, to preserve all that each of us is born with. When Mufasa was explaining to Simba that is not easy to be the King… he says that a good King should know that everything around us lives in a delicated equilibrium and with intelligence we should try to understand it and respect it.

Miodrag Bozovic

11/10/08

Marin Draganja - 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner - lost in the semifinals of Grade A ITF tournament played in Osaka in Japan - Osaka Mayor's Cup - World Super Junior Tennis Championships 2008

Marin Draganja – 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia – lost in the semifinals of Grade A ITF tournament that was played in Osaka in Japan – Osaka Mayor’s Cup – World Super Junior Tennis Championships 2008. Marin Draganja is currently ranked #42 on ITF ranking list.

Ajla Tomljanovic also played this tournament in Osaka and reached the quarterfinals. Ajla Tomljanovic played twice Smrikva Bowl: in 2002 and 2003. The first time was the runner up and the second time ranked third. Ajla Tomljanovic is from Croatia but currently lives and trains in Florida at Chris Evert Academy. She is currently ranked #36 on ITF ranking list.

Marin Draganja’s road towards the semifinals on Osaka Mayor’s Cup – World Super Junior Tennis Championships 2008 was the following:
1st round: Marin DRAGANJA – Yusuke WATANUKI (JPN) 6:1, 6:4
2nd round: Marin DRAGANJA – Alastair BARNES (GBR) 7:6, 6:4
3rd round: Marin DRAGANJA – A.F.GEORGOUDAS (GER) 6:4, 7:6
Quarterfinals: Marin DRAGANJA – Liang-Chi HUANG (TPE) 6:0, 6:4
Semifinals: DRAGANJA – Yuki BHAMBRI (IND) 2:6, 6:2, 3:6

Ajla Tomljanovic’s road towards the quarterfinals on Osaka Mayor’s Cup – World Super Junior Tennis Championships 2008 was the following:
1st round: Ajla TOMLJANOVIC – Harriet SHEAHAN (AUS) 0:3 ret.
2nd round: TOMLJANOVIC – Katherine WESTBURY (THA) 6:2, 6:1
3rd round: Ajla TOMLJANOVIC – Chinami OGI (JPN) 6:3, 6:4
Quarterfinals: Ajla TOMLJANOVIC – Kurumi NARA (JPN) 6:7, 2:6

Silvia Njiric – 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia – also played this tournament but lost in against Akiko Omae from Japan with result 6:7, 7:6, 7:6. Silvia Njiric is currently ranked #67 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #964 on WTA list.

10/10/08

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update October 2008)

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #903 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006. Vilim Visak is currently ranked #377 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Natali Zuliani, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Zeljko Peric, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #386 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1998 – 3rd Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Filip Kovacic, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Mateja Horvat, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player. His best ranking was around #800 on WTA list.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Borko Mudronja, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1917 on ATP list. Deni Zmak is currently ranked #999 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #383 on WTA list.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy. Adelchi is very talented player but he continues to be injured. Hopefully he will be able to start to play professional tennis.

GIRLS
Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #617 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #42 on ITF ranking list.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #57 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #199 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #670 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is currently ranked #926 on ATP list.
Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #69 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1899 on ATP list.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #832 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #36 on ITF ranking list.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #865 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jordaan Sanford, played 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #846 on ITF ranking list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #35 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #552 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #106 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. George Morgan won Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 14 age group.
Ciprian Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #587 on ITF ranking list and and is ranked #7 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #223 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1090 on WTA list.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #67 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #964 on WTA list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #36 on ITF ranking list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett Egger, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #40 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #571 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #153 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #149 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #424 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #11 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #271 in under 16 cathegory.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #12 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #58 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska Gavrilovska, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #62 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ecaterina Opriou, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Romenia, is ranked #55 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel Polnet, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #189 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Rayan Andrada, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #834 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Blair Shankle, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #5 in the USA in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #966 on ITF ranking list.
Anna Mamalat, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #29 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2005 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 3 CONTINENTS

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #49 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #56 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #26 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Harry Busby, ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from UK, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Nikola Milojevic, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #24 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

GIRLS
Saska Gavrilovska, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Serbia, is ranked #62 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Olga Yanchuk, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Ukraine, is ranked #15 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #407 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #185 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #55 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #94 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

BOYS
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #26 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #82 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #28 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Christina Makarova, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #10 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #53 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

2007 – 12th Smrikva Bowl and 6th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

GIRLS
Virginia Pena, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Spain, is ranked #522 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Ana Konjuh, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Nina Potocnik, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is ranked #834 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Katie Dayson, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from UK, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Eduardo Nava, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #26 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy Paul, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #52 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ndindi Ndunda, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #55 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #250 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

IN 2008 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 5 CONTINENTS AND TURNED INTO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 – 13th Smrikva Bowl and 7th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justine Lee, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #144 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
William Blumberg, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ingrid Neel, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #37 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #542 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

08/10/08

Letter from Luka Panic after his stay at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Paris. This was one of the prizes for the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 victory. Yesterday Luka also made a picture with Roger Federer

Luka Panic won the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and had the opportunity to train for a week at prestigous Mouratoglou Tennis Academy near Paris. From this year one of Smrikva Bowl new friends is also Patrick Mouratoglou and last week Luka spent a week with his trainer Boris Grbic in Paris.

For Luka this was one of her first international experiences and first opportunities to get in contact with a professional tennis facility such as Mouratoglou Academy although he trains in outstanding facilities in Switzerland. This is the picture Luka made yesterday with Roger Federer that trained in the nearby court where Luka trained on rebound ace surface. Luka was lucky that Roger Federer took the opportunity to see him playing.

For Luka this was also his first time in Paris and he take the opportunity to visit some of the Paris’ beauties with Boris who knows better the town. Luka send me the letter from the Academy and probably he will return sometime in the future because he felt good and also established good relationships with Mouratoglou’s team.

I am pleased to share with people understanding Croatian Luka’s e-mail letter where he explain his Paris experience. The latter is in Croatian because Luka’s origin is Croatian.

Dobar dan gospodine Bozovicu,

Evo da Vam se javim nakon tjedna u teniskoj Akademiji u Parizu. Lijep osjecaj je otici negdje u nepoznato i upoznati nove prijatelje.

Pogotovo sto sam vidio nesto novo i to jos u tenisu kojim se i sam bavim. Put iz Züricha pa preko Basela, Strasburga do Parisa protekao je vrlo brzo. Vozili smo se naravno u TGV-u.

Paris me dojmio ono sto sam vidio jako velik i lijep grad. No taj dan nisam mogao vidjedi bas puno toga. Cekao nas je taksi i odvezao ravno u Akademiju.

Rano ustajanje, dorucak, ugrijavanje, tenis trening, rucak pa poslije kondinacioni trening, pa tenis trening i na kraju stretching. To je bila moja svakodnevnica.

Ja sam to lako podnosio jer sam naucen takvom radu i u Svicarskoj. Mozda za promjenu hrana mi nije odgovarala svaki dan. Ali sam jako zadovoljan sto sam vidio i upoznao nesto novo.

Smatram da je to veliko iskustvo za mene a i za moga trenera Borisa. Rado cu ici jos koji put!!!

Na kraju tjedna u subotu bili smo Boris i ja na razgledavanju Parisa. Ono malo vremena proveli smo razgledavajuci Paris. Vidjeli smo Eiffelovoga tornja, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Montparnassov neboder (najbrzi lift na svijetu, vozili smo se u tom liftu). Neboder je 205m velik. I vidjeli smo crkvu Notre Dame. U nedjelju ujutro vratili smo TGV-om natrag u Zürich.

Puno pozdrava,

Luka

07/10/08

Dylan Bednarczyk from Canada - 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 quarterfinalist - on You Tube

Dylan Bednarczyk is a very talented player from Canada that played Smrikva Bowl in 2007 and arrived in the quarterfinals. He was 9 years old at the time and was supposed to play this year Smrikva Bowl but a team competition with the Canadaian Tennis Association did not allow him to compete on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008.

After the Smrikva Bowl he competed in the Kids Cup and won in the under 9 age group cathegory. His father Marian informed me about posted video and I am pleased to share it with the Smrikva Bowl comunity.

02/10/08

Ariana Rabac reached the finals at an under 14 tournament in Porec

This week end Ariana Rabac played an under 14 tennis tournament in Porec.

Ariana Rabac is 12 years old tennis player and this are one of her first experiences in under 14 age group cathegory. A month ago she played 24th Stella Maris Cup where she successfully reached the second round of this important European under 14 tournament that was played in Umag.

This week end Ariana Rabac played a tournament at Istrian – Regional level competing among 13 girls. After successfull round robin she reached the finals. Most of the girls with whom Ariana played are older then she and this is another important element for Ariana to keep working on her game improvement.

In the semifinals Ariana defeated Ena Kajevic 7:6, 6:3 and in the finals she lost against Silvija Brgic 6:2, 6:3.

Ariana trains at the Smrikve Tennis Club and Silvija Brgic trains in Uljanik Tennis Club in Pula and this allow them to often play matches together and further improve their game and get ready for the National competition that will involve both of them in the following year.

Congratulations Ariana and Silvija!

Another good news is that Ariana Rabac, born in 1996, successfully passed the first round against Ivona Lovrekovic with the result 6:4, 6:3. Ariana lost in the second round against Violeta Jankovic from Serbia 6:1, 6:2. Violeta Jankovic is ranked #136 in Europe in under 14 age group cathegory. For Ariana Rabac that will be soon 12 years old this is one of her first under 14 experiences.

22/09/08

Luka Panic - 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner - obtained Wilson sponsorship contract

Luka Panic won 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and one of the new prizes for this year winners was the Wilson sponsorship contract. Today I received the news from Luka’s father that he received 3 new racquets, the Wilson bag, the strings and overgrips. Luka received Nova Djokovic’s rackets and I am glad for that because Novak is one of Luka’s favorite players of today.

Here is the photo of Luka Panic with his new bag and racquets.

In addition, this week end Luka played the finals of a Swiss tournament in Zurich and he had a high temperature the night before but in end he was able to confirm his outstanding performance in the finals with the victory of 6:2, 6:0 against Benjamin Killherr.

Very soon Luka will go to Paris to get the additional prize he won on the Smrikva Bowl, a seven day stage at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. Katarina Jokic, the girls winner, already completed the stage and hopefully Luka will enjoy it the same way Katarina enjoyed it.

18/09/08

Today we collected grapes and started 2008 Smrikve wine production

Today we collected grapes and started 2008 Smrikve wine production. It was a long day and several people helped us during the collection process. The grapes were yellow coloured and of sweet taste. We expect the wine to be good also this year.

The first phase of the processing was completed today. We collected the grapes but also separated the juice of the rest to obtain the golden colour that usually our Istrian Malvazija (Malmsey) wine has. Now for two days the fermentation will be blocked to allow the wine to start its transformation process cleaner than it is today after the collection.

In Smrikve we produce Istrian Malvazija (Malmsey) and during the Smrikva Bowl we use to give a bottle of wine to every family as a memory to their Smrikva Bowl.

In the regions where the wine is produced the wine was always part of the culture of the particular site. Also the wine we produce is part of the Smrikve tradition and this is the reason why we are pleased to give a bottle to every family that come to visit us for the Smrikva Bowl.

With todays collection we started the process of transforming the grapes into wine for the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 edition.

For those who are not familiar with Istrian wine I am pleased to remined the reader that Istrian wine was considered one of the best in the Roman Empire, around 20 centuries ago, and was preferred by Livia Drusilla, also known as Iulia Augusta, the wife of the first Roman Emperor Augustus.

15/09/08

Komot from Zagreb prepared new tennis blende for the Smrikve Central Court where the Smrikva Bowl finals are played

Vlado and Marija Babic are the owners of Komot, one of the leading companies in Croatia for the production of tennis blende. The company is based in Zagreb and their tennis programme on the webisite can be visited if you click on www.baplast-komot.hr .

Vlado and Marija are also the parents of Zvonimir Babic that played Smrikva Bowl twice several years ago. Since the first time their son played our tournament they decided to support Smrikva Bowl. They sponsored Smrikva Bowl with some articles they produce, among those products are also tennis blende. Today both Vlado and Marija Babic are Golden Smrikva Bowl Members and every year they make as a visit in Smrikve.

Vlado Babic is also the person that gave me the idea to plant an olive tree during the tournament. He enjoyed Smrikva Bowl and said that I should think about that idea and the year after we started to plant centuries old Olive Trees. I decided to plant the old olive tree to add to the traditional message of the olive tree the message of intergenerational responsibility that I think is an important message for the kids of today.

It is always a pleasure to have former Smrikva Bowl players in Smrikve and is always a pleasure to have some help from them that allow us to further develop Smrikva Bowl.

Thanks again Vlado and Marija!

13/09/08

Katarina Jokic and Nina Marjanovic during their stay at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy had the opportunity to further improve their friendship that started on the Smrikva Bowl

Katarina Jokic won the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 and had the opportunity to train for a week at prestigous Mouratoglou Tennis Academy near Paris. From this year one of Smrikva Bowl new friends is also Patrick Mouratoglou and he offered to the Smrikva Bowl winners this extraoridinary prize. The winner and one person are hosted for a week in the Academy.

Every Smrikva Bowl player was informed about this opportunity and to every player during the registration was presented the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

For Katarina this was one of her first international experiences after Smrikva Bowl and was also the first opportunities to get in contact with a professional tennis facility such as Mouratoglou Academy. It is likely that Katarina Jokic together with Maya Lumsden and Ingrid Neel is one of the best players in the World in her age group.

Let me continue this story… to explain also this new friendship developed between Nina Marjanovic and Katarina…

Nina Marjanovic is the best player in Serbia in her age group and she also played this year Smrikva Bowl. Nina is a kid that always smile and after the Smrikva Bowl her family decided to stay for few more days in Pula and to train in Smrikve. In those days they asked me about the opportunity to go to Paris. They asked me more information about the Academy and explained to me that they have lived in Paris and that they have an apartment there, so for them would be nice to apply for two weeks training.

I promissed to them that I would have checked with the Academy about the costs for their stay. In end Patrick Mouratoglou decided to offer to Nina two weeks of training in his Academy for free. Nina was very happy and thanks to this opportuntiy Nina and Katarina were toghether in Paris at the beginning of Septembar.

This was Katarina’s first time in Paris and she took the opportunity to visit Paris’ tower and also Disneyland. I saw several photos of Nina and Katarina in the Disneyland and they looked really happy. Here below is one of their photos:

In the Academy they had the opportunity to meet and make a photo with Marcos Baghdatis, one of the players that has grown in Mouratoglou’s Academy.

Last week end Katarina Jokic was invited to play a tournament in Belgrade where also a hospitality was offered to her and her father but in end they preferred to stay in Nina’s Marjanovic home as their guest. It is nice to hear that when you have a hotel where you can sleep you prefer to stay in home of your friends. I was so happy to hear that and Katarina’s father more times repeated to me on the phone how he enjoyed the developing of this new friendship between Katarina and Nina.

Nina and Katarina spent a day in Disneyland and I would like to close this article with a text I wrote few months ago in relation with the Ambassadors nomination and the centuries old Olive Tree we plant all together every year. The text is related to Lion King cartoon, a Walt Disney cartoon, that is very mutch in line with the message the Olive Tree we plant trasmits to the Ambassadors.

It would be nice to think that Nina and Katarina friendship could develop into friendship similar to that enjoyed by Simba, Timon and Pumbaa in the cartoon. Here below is my text related with the Amabassadors nomination:

“The Lion King cartoon is an artwork and most of the life messages one can find in it are in line with the Smrikva Bowl. They are in line with the message of the Ambassadors’ Olive Tree; they are in line with the values of friendship and love; they are in line with empathy. Love, friendship and empathy are all Cosmopolitan values per excellence, as far as people and humanity are concerned.

The relationship between Mufasa, Sarabi and Simba reminds me of both: parents and family love, but also about the intergenerational responsability. Timon, Pumbaa and Simba relationship remineds me about love between friends. Pumbaa also make me think abuout empathy, intuition and loyalty. The relationship between Simba and Nola reminds me again about the importance of love. Rifiki, the wise old baboo, with his many centuries old tree remineds me about the importance of the knowledge and experience of the older. There are many other particular moments that every person on its own, based on his or her own life experience, discover by watching these artworks.

You might be interested to know that most of the characters’s names in this cartoon have a particular meaning in Swahili language: Simba means “lion”; Nala means “gift”, and love is for me one of the greatest gifts that people can receive and give during their lifes; Sarabi means “mirage”; Pumbaa means “dull-witted” or “stunned”; and Rafiki means “friend” :). These names with their meanings make me think of the American Indians and the way they used to give the names to their people.

Every person is born without knowing anything about life on this earth and it is the responsibility of every generation to understand and to learn, to preserve all that each of us is born with. When Mufasa was explaining to Simba that is not easy to be the King… a good King should know that everything around us lives in a delicated equilibrium and with intelligence we should try to understand it and respect it. The intergenerational responsibility alone will allow future generations to enjoy the beauty of life, the sunsets and the seasons of the earth. Enjoy the circle of life.”

“The future is always in a minority. Yet the history of the future is more important than the history of the past. It is for the old to remember the past. It is for the young to build the world of tomorrow.”

09/09/08

Top Smrikva Bowl and "Little Mo"/Smrikva Bowl players on ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA and European under 14 and 16 ranking lists (update Septembar 2008)

IN 1996 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM ISTRIA AND KVARNER

1996 – 1st Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Vilim Visak, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #938 on ATP list. Vilim’s best ranking was #612 in March 2006. Vilim Visak is currently ranked #407 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Natali Zuliani, 1st Smrikva Bowl 1996 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

IN 1997 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM CROATIA

1997 – 2nd Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Zeljko Peric, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Ivana Lisjak, 2nd Smrikva Bowl 1997 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #375 on WTA list. Ivana’s best ranking was #95 in June 2006.

IN 1998 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

1998 – 3rd Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Filip Kovacic, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player.

GIRLS
Mateja Horvat, 3rd Smrikva Bowl 1998 winner, from Croatia, is not ranked player. His best ranking was around #800 on WTA list.

1999 – 4th Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Deni Zmak, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #1888 on ATP list. Deni Zmak is currently ranked #1052 on ATP Doubles Ranking.

GIRLS
Astrid Besser, 4th Smrikva Bowl 1999 winner, from Italy, is ranked #403 on WTA list.

2000 – 5th Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Adelchi Virgili, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Italy. Adelchi is very talented player but he continues to be injured. Hopefully he will be able to start to play professional tennis.

GIRLS
Tereza Mrdeza, 5th Smrikva Bowl 2000 winner, from Croatia, is currently ranked #614 on WTA list.

2001 – 6th Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Marin Draganja, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #44 on ITF ranking list. Marin Draganja played in the finals of the last year Avenire in Milan, one of the most important under 16 tennis tournaments in the World.
Dino Marcan, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #58 on ITF ranking list.

GIRLS
Petra Martic, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #183 on WTA list.
Indire Akiki, 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #705 on WTA list.

IN 2002 SMRIKVA BOWL STARTED TO BE A EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

2002 – 7th Smrikva Bowl and 1st”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Javier Marti, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Spain, is currently ranked #1307 on ATP list and #611 on ITF ranking list. Giacomo Miccini, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Italy, is ranked #69 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1859 on ATP list.

GIRLS
Martina Caregaro, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 winner, from Italy, is ranked #807 on WTA ranking list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #36 on ITF ranking list and was ranked #1067 on WTA list.
Ema Burgic, ranked 3rd on 7th Smrikva Bowl 2002, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, is ranked #106 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #965 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jordaan Sanford, played 1st “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #850 on ITF ranking list.

2003 – 8th Smrikva Bowl and 2nd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Dominic Thiem, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Austria, is ranked #36 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.
George Morgan, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Great Britain, is ranked #551 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #102 in Europe in under 16 cathegory. George Morgan won Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 14 age group. George Morgan also played the finals of the Prince Cup 2007.
Ciprian Porumb, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Romenia, is ranked #577 on ITF ranking list and and is ranked #7 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

GIRLS
Jennifer Ren, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 winner, from Great Britain, is ranked #228 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #1075 on WTA list.
Silvia Njiric, 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003 runner up, from Croatia, is ranked #68 on ITF ranking list and is ranked #957 on WTA list.
Ajla Tomljanovic, ranked 3rd on 8th Smrikva Bowl 2003, from Croatia, is ranked #36 on ITF ranking list and was ranked #1067 on WTA list.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Emmett Egger, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #46 in the USA in under 16 cathegory and is ranked #686 on ITF ranking list.
Robert Stineman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #168 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

Karen Forman, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #157 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.
Katie Klyczek, played 2nd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #437 in the USA in under 16 cathegory.

2004 – 9th Smrikva Bowl and 3rd”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Ivan Levar, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 winner, from Croatia, is ranked #11 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #264 in under 16 cathegory.
Miki Jankovic, 9th Smrikva Bowl 2004 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #12 in Europe in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #57 in Europe in under 16 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Mitchel Polnet, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #205 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Rayan Andrada, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #898 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Blair Shankle, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #7 in the USA in under 14 cathegory and is ranked #1167 on ITF ranking list.
Anna Mamalat, played 3rd “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #29 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

IN 2005 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 3 CONTINENTS

2005 – 10th Smrikva Bowl and 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Matteo Donati, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 winner, from Italy, is ranked #67 in Europe in under 14 cathegory. Matteo Donati arrived in the semifinals of Junior Orange Bowl 2007 under 12 age group and he was the winner of the Prince Cup.
Gyore Laszlo, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 runner up, from Serbia, is ranked #55 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Gianluigi Quinzi, ranked 3rd on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from Italy, is ranked #27 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Harry Busby, ranked 4th on 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005, from UK, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory. In 2007, Harry Busby won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 11 cathegory.
Nikola Milojevic, 10th Smrikva Bowl 2005 Consolation tournament winner, from Serbia, is ranked #24 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Jeffrey Schorsch, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #430 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Jose Gracia, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #190 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.
Yale Goldberg, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #57 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

Dorothy Tang, played 4th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #106 in the USA in under 14 cathegory.

2006 – 11th Smrikva Bowl and 5th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Gianluigi Quinzi, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, from Italy, is ranked #27 in Europe in under 14 cathegory.
Filip Kraljevic, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 runner up, from Croatia, is not ranked in Europe in under 14 cathegory.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Daniel Maese, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #94 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Aries Wong, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #33 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Christina Makarova, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #12 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Gabriella Umoquit, played 5th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #102 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

2007 – 12th Smrikva Bowl and 6th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Sacha Merzetti, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Bogdan Borza, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Gonzalo Morell, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Sergiu Bucur, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

GIRLS
Virginia Pena, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 winner, from Spain, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Ana Konjuh, 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007 runner up, from Croatia, is too young for under 14 european ranking. Ana Konjuh won the 2nd “Little Mo” International 2007 under 10 age group.
Nina Potocnik, ranked 3rd on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Katie Dayson, ranked 4th on 12th Smrikva Bowl 2007, from UK, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Eduardo Nava, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #30 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Tommy Paul, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #77 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ndindi Ndunda, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #68 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.
Domonique Garley, played 6th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #275 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

IN 2008 SMRIKVA BOWL GATHERED TOP PLAYERS FROM 5 CONTINENTS AND TURNED INTO A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 – 13th Smrikva Bowl and 7th”Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl
BOYS
Luka Panic, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 winner, from Switzerland, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Mihnea Turcu, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, from Romania, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Grega Kokalj, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Slovenia, is too young for under 14 european ranking.
Andrea Guerrieri, ranked 3rd on 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008, from Italy, is too young for under 14 european ranking.

“Little Mo” TEAM
Justine Lee, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #178 in the USA in under 12 cathegory. In 2008, Justin Lee won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 10 cathegory.
William Blumberg, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is not ranked in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

Ingrid Neel, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #36 in the USA in under 12 cathegory. In 2008, Ingrid Neel won Ouatt Kids Cup World Wide under 10 cathegory.
Paulina Ferrari, played 7th “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl, from the USA, is ranked #941 in the USA in under 12 cathegory.

09/09/08

Katarina Jokic trained at Mouratoglou Tennis Academy. This was one of her prizes for the 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 victory

For Katarina is one of her first international experiences and first opportunities to get in contact with a professional tennis facility such as Mouratoglou Academy. This was also her first time in Paris and she take the opportunity to visit Paris’ tower but also Disneyland. In the Academy she had also the opportunity to make a photo with Marcos Baghdatis, one of the players that has grown in the Academy.

On the photo you can see Marcos Baghdatis with Katarina Jokic in Mouratoglou Tennis Academy.

I am pleased to share with people understanding Croatian Katarina’s e-mail where she explain her Paris experience…

Postovani gospodine Miodrag,

Ucesce na 13-om Smrikva Bowl turniru donijelo mi je puno lijepih trenutaka. Pobijedivsi na Smrikvi dobila sam mogucnost da posjetim Mouratoglou tenis akademiju u Parizu i osjetim kako izgleda profesionalni tenis. Trenirala sam sa djecom iz cijele Evrope. Iako govorimo razlicitim jezicima jako dobro smo se sporazumijevali. Vrijeme provedeno u akademiji je bilo ispunjeno napornim treninzima ali je veoma brzo proslo. Tamo sam srela prijatelje sa Smrikve i upoznala nove. Treneri na akademiji su nas smatrali svojim prijateljima i u svaki trening su unosili dozu humora.

Imala sam jedan slobodan dan i pokusala sam da ga najbolje iskoristim. Za obilazak Pariza potrebno je puno vise vremena a za ovaj put sam se oprijedjelila da obidjem Ajfelov toranj i Diznilend. Taj dan cu uvijek pamtiti. Nadam se da ce mi se u buducnosti pruziti sansa da vidim i druge znamenitosti ovog prelijepog grada.

Pozdrav svima sa Smrikve i vidimo se sljedece godine kada ce moj brat Andrej ucestvovati na turniru i zelim da sljedeci Smrikva Bowl u svemu nadmasi ovaj.

Katarina Jokic

09/09/08

News on Maia Lumsden from Scotland - 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up

I am pleased to share with Smrikva Bowl comuntiy tha latest news I received from Maia’s family about her progress…

Maia Lumsden from Scotland, 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 runner up, the day after Smrikva Bowl played OUATT Kids Cup in Paris and reached the finals again.

After being in the final at Smrikva and Ouatt. Maia won her first International tournament Ligue Dauphine/savoie in France. She ended the summer by winning the British National under 10 championship.

Congratulations Maia and thanks for sending the news!

08/09/08

Petra Martic - 6th Smrikva Bowl 2001 winner - reached the semifinals of USD 50.000 tournament in Maribor - Slovenia

Petra Martic reached the semifinals of the USD 50000 tournament in Maribor played this week .

Petra Martic is already the best ranked Smrikva Bowl player in the World. She is currently ranked #195 on WTA list.

Petra Martic’s road towards the semifinals was the following:

1st round: Petra Martic – Wienerova 6:3, 6:4
2nd round: Petra Martić – Zorić 6:1, 3:0 ret
Quarterfinals: Petra Martić – Jakimova (1) 5:2 ret
Semifinals: Petra Martić – Kucova ret 1:4

In the last two months Petra Martic won a USD 100.000 tournament and raeched the quarterfinals at a USD 145.000 tournament.

Petra Martic is 17 years old and is for sure the potential the TOP 100 WTA player.

04/09/08

Eleanor Dean, 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 winner, won the British Junior National Championship - under 12 age group

I just received the information from Eleanor’s father that Eleanor won the British National Championship under 12. Eleanor Dean won 11th Smrikva Bowl 2006 and with this victory confirms the top UK player in her age group. Congratulations Eleanor!

Eleanor’s road towards the Championship was as follows:

1st round: Eleanor Dean – Anouska Newman 6:2, 6:1
2nd round: Eleanor Dean – Jasmine A. Asghar 6:1, 6:0
Quarterfinals: Eleanor Dean – Alannah Griffin 6:1, 6:1
Semifinals: Eleanor Dean – Alice Keddie 6:2, 6:2
Finals: Eleanor Dean – Eden Silva 6:0, 6:3

The following article is reported from http://www.lta.org.uk

Dean lifts singles trophy

Yorkshire’s Eleanor Dean won the girls’ singles title at the 12 & under Junior National Championships in Bournemouth on Wednesday. The 12 year-old defeated the No 4 seed, Essex’s Eden Silva, 6-0 6-3 in the final.

Dean dominated the early stages of the match and having won the opening set 6-0 raced into a 5-2 lead in the second. However, Silva fought back to break the No 1 seed’s serve before eventually losing on the fourth match point.

Reflecting after the match, Dean said: “It went really well today. I got a bit tight in the last couple of games but I managed to keep things together. I didn’t want to give it away at the end so I tried to be patient and wait for Eden’s mistakes. It’s amazing to have won. I’ve worked really hard to get here so I’m very pleased.”

In the doubles final, Dean clinched her second title of the day with Northumberland’s Grace Dixon by beating Leicestershire’s Katie Boulter and Middlesex’s Harriet Dart 6-1 6-2. The No 1 seeds impressively dropped just eight games en route to lifting the trophy.

01/09/08

The research process of the talents for the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 started. Smrikva Bowl - one of the most important under 10 tennis tournaments in the World will take place from 24th - 28th june 2009

Dragi prijatelji Smrikve,
E-mail koji slijedi o najavi 14.tog Smrikva Bowl-a 2009 je pisan na tri jezika: Hrvatskom, Talijanskom i Engleskom jeziku.

Cari amici dello Smrikva,
La e-mail che segue e che presenta il 14-esimo Smrikva Bowl 2009 e’ stata scritto in tre lingue: Croato, Italiano ed Inglese.

Dear Smrikva Bowl friends,
The following e-mail about 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 is written in three languages: Croatian, Italian and English.

HRAVATSKI – CROATIAN – CROATO (14 SMRIKVA BOWL 2009)

Dragi prijatelji Smrikva Bowl-a,

Kao prvo vam želim prenijeti jedan dragi pozdrav od mene i cijelog Staff-a Smrikva Bowl-a prije nego vam predstavim i pozovem vas da pogledate prezentaciju 14.-tog Smrikva Bowl-a 2009.

Započela je selekcija mladih talenata za 14.-ti Smrikva Bowl 2009 koji će se održati u Puli (u Hrvatskoj) od 24 – 28 lipnja 2009 godine. Smrikva Bowl kao što mnogi od vas znaju okuplja najtalentiraniju djecu u tenisu do 10 godina na svijetu.

Na zadnji dan, 28 lipnja 2009 godine, će se igrati 8.-mi “Little Mo” / Smrikva Bowl, susret između najtalentiranijih igrača iz SAD-a i finalista Smrikva Bowl-a. “Little Mo” je najjači turnir u SAD-u i svake godine okupi oko 1700 djece. Andy Roddick je 1992 godine kad je imao 10 godina osvojio “Little Mo”.

Detaljniju prezentaciju sa formularom za prijavu za 14-ti Smrikva Bowl 2009 možete naći na našoj internet stranici http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/ . Pozivam vas da na istoj stranici pogledate i video o 13.-tom Smrikva Bowl-u 2008. gdje možete upoznati i najuspješnije igrače sa 13.tog Smrikva Bowl-a 2008: Luku Panića iz Švicarske, Mihnea Turcu iz Rumunjske, Katarinu Jokić iz Bosne i Hercegovine i Maya-u Lumsden iz Škotske.

Pogledajte imena pobjednika i učesnika Smrikva Bowl-a jer će vjerojatno više njih postati dobri igrači. Na stranicama Smrikva Bowl-a pod sekcijom News možete pratiti njihove napretke. Puno hvala svim bivšim igračima Smrikve i roditeljima koji šalju vijesti o njihovim uspjesima i koje možete čitati na našoj stranici. Na taj način i sa ostalim prijateljima Smrikve možemo podijelili vaše uspjehe.

13.ti Smrikva Bowl 2008 je okupio najtalentiraniju djecu iz 24 zemlje i sa 5 kontinenata te su prvi puta nastupili igrači iz Australije a Sidney se nalazi na više od 16.000 kilometara od Pule. Do danas su kroz Smrikvu prošli igrači iz 34 zemlje svijeta.

Posebno mi je drago da ima novih zaljubljenika Smrikve koji se pridružuju postojećim prijateljima Smrikva Bowl-a. Ima ih puno ali posebno bi izdvojio da od ove godine imamo i poklon za pobjednike od Patrick-a Mouratoglou-a koji poklanja pobjednicima Smrikva Bowl-a sedam dana u njegovoj prestižnoj Akademiji i isto tako tvrtka Wilson koja pobjednike nagrađuje sponzorskim ugovorom.

Ako poznajete neko talentirano dijete rođeno 1999 godine koje bi zaslužilo zaigrati na Smrikvi biti ce nam drago da nam ga naznačite. Ako nastavite ili poželite širiti glas o Smrikvi u vašoj zajednici jednako smo vam zahvalni jer za djecu je Smrikva kao jedan veliki “rođendan”. Ako želite pripomoći Smrikvi isto tako ste dobro došli a i pozivamo vas da nas posjetite kao gledaoci turnira.

Misija turnira je širene kozmopolitanskih vrijednosti a djeca, sport, kultura i muzika su već dio tog svijeta.

Na kraju veliko hvala Ambasadorima Smrikva Bowl-a, Zlatnim Članovima Smrikve i Počasnim Članovima Smrikva Bowl-a koji na različite načine doprinose rastu Smrikve.

Srdačan pozdrav svima,

Miodrag Božović

ITALIANO – TALIJANSKI – ITALIAN (14 SMRIKVA BOWL 2009)

Cari Amici dello Smrikva Bowl,

Prima di presentarvi ed invitarvi a vedere la presentazione del 14.-esimo Smrikva Bowl 2009 desidero innanzitutto inviarvi un caro saluto sia da parte mia che di tutto lo Staff dello Smrikva Bowl.

E’ iniziata la selezione dei giovani talenti per il 14° Smrikva Bowl 2009 che si terrà a Pola (Croazia-Istria) dal 24 giugno fino al 28 giugno 2009. Smrikva Bowl come alcuni di voi sapranno raccoglie i migliori tennisti under 10 a livello mondiale.

L’ultimo giorno, il 28 giugno a Pola si giocherà l’ottava edizione di “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl che unisce il piu’ prestigioso torneo degli Stati Uniti, “Little Mo”, allo Smrikva Bowl. “Little Mo” e’ giocato ogni anno da oltre 1700 bambini ed Andy Roddick nel 1992 vinse “Little Mo”.

Sul sito http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/ potete vedere la presentazione dell’edizione di quest’anno con il formulario d’iscrizione. Vi invito inoltre di visitare sulla stessa pagina il video del 13 Smrikva Bowl 2008. Nel video e sulle foto potrete conoscere i volti dei migliori ragazzi di quest’anno: Luka Panic dalla Svizzera, Mihnea Turcu dalla Romania, Katarina Jokic dalla Bosnia e Herzegovina e Maya Lumsden dalla Scozia.

Ricordatevi i nomi dei giocatori dello Smrikva Bowl perche’ alcuni stanno gia’ diventando grandi pian pianino! Sulla pagina principale dello Smrikva Bowl nella sezione dedicata alle News potete seguire i loro progressi. Desidero inoltre ringraziare tutti gli ex-giocatori e genitori che continuano ad inviarmi le notizie sui loro progressi ed in questo modo possiamo diffondere la voce sul loro progresso tra gli amici dello Smrikva.

13.-esimo Smrikva Bowl 2008 ha raccolto i migliori tallenti da 24 paesi e 5 continenti. Quest’anno abbiamo avuto per prima volta i partecipanti dall’Australia e Sydney si trova a piu’ di 16000 chilometri da Pola. Fino ad oggi Smrikva Bowl hanno giocato i ragazzi provenienti da 34 paesi.

Sono molto contento che quest’anno si sono aggiunti diversi nuovi amici dello Smrikva a quelli che ci seguono e supportano da anni. Sono in tanti ma vorrei ricordare in particolare l’Accademia di Patrick Mouratoglou ed il suo regallo ai vincitori di passare una settimana nella sua prestigiosa Accademia e vorrei ricordare la Wilson che offre ai vincitori il contratto di sponsorizzazione.

Se conoscete qualche ragazzo o ragazza del 1999 con il talento sarro’ lieto di farli partecipare al torneo. Se continuate a diffondere oppure volete iniziare a diffondere la voce del torneo nella vostra comunita’ siete altrettanto benvenuti. Coloro che hanno partecipato sanno che per i bambini e’ una grandissima festa e una bellissima esperienza. Se desiderate aggiungerci tra coloro che supportano il torneo siete ugualmente benvenuti !!! Siete invitati anche come spettatori visto che Pola e l’Istria sono splendide da visitare.

Lo scopo del torneo e’ lo sviluppo e la diffusione dei valori cosmopoliti e bambini, lo sport, la cultura e la musica sono gia’ parte di quel mondo.

In fine un sentito grazie agli Ambasciatori dello Smrikva Bowl, ai membri d’Oro dello Smrikva Bowl ed ai membri d’Onore dello Smrikva che in piu’ diversi modi aiutano lo sviluppo del torneo.

Un caro saluto a tutti,

Miodrag Bozovic

ENGLISH – ENGLESKI – INGLESE (14th SMRIKVA BOWL 2009)

Dear Smrikva Bowl Friends!

Before I present you and invite you to visit the 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 pdf file presentation I would like to forward you a warmest hello to each of you from me and from the Smrikva Bowl Staff.

The 14th annual Smrikva Bowl 2009 will be held next year in Pula, Croatia from 24th of June till 28th of June 2009. The tournament, which boasts the top 10 and under players World wide.

On 28th of June the Smrikve Tennis Club will also host the 8th annual “Little Mo”/Smrikva Bowl. This event combines the top players in this younger group from the United States and the Smrikva Bowl finalist playing against each other. “Little Mo” is the most important under 10 tennis tournament in the USA played by over 1700 kids and in 1992 the famous tennis player Andy Roddick won “Little Mo” when he was 10 years old.

There is a detailed presentation about 14th Smrikva Bowl 2009 with the application form on our internet site http://www.smrikve.com/smrikva-bowl/. I also invite you to see on our internet site the video about 13th Smrikva Bowl 2008. In video and in the photo gallery you will see the best players of this year edition: Luka Panic from Switzerland, Mihnea Turcu from Romania, Katarina Jokic from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Maya Lumsden from Scotland.

Please remember the names of some Smrikva Bowl players because some of them might became good players very soon. In the Smrikva Bowl News section you can follow the progress of many of them. I would like to say thanks to all the former players and parents that keep me informed about their progresses because this way I can post the news about them and keep the community updated so all the people that are Smrikva Bowl friends can cheer your successes.

13th Smrikva Bowl 2008 gathered top players from 24 countries and 5 continents and for the first time we had players from Australia. Sydney is located more than 16.000 kilometres far away from Pula. In all these years top players from 34 countries have played Smrikva Bowl.

I am very glad that we had also this year several new Smrikva Bowl friends that added to the list of our historical friends. Patrick Mouratoglou offered to the winners one week training in his prestigious Academy and Wilson decided to offer to the winners the sponsorship contract.

If you know a good tennis players born in 1999 that deserve to play Smrikva Bowl please let me know and I will be pleased to invite them to play this year edition. If you would like to become the Sponsor of the tournament you are also welcome. You are also invited to come as visitor for the tournament. Thank you in advance for spreading the word about Smrikva Bowl in your community.

Smrikva Bowl mission is to develop and spread Cosmopolitan values. Children, sport, culture and music are already part of the Cosmopolitan World.

In end a special thanks is due to the Smrikva Bowl Ambassadors, to the Golden Smrikva Bowl Members and to the Honorary Smrikva Bowl Members that make Smrikva Bowl possible.

Warmest regards,

Miodrag Bozovic