Junior Tennis Players Attempt to Follow in Gauff, Roddick Footsteps at ‘Little Mo’

With Coco Gauff and Andy Roddick as former champions, the 13th Annual “Little Mo” Internationals will likely again crown diminutive future pros on Dec. 6-11, 2019 at the PGA National Resort & Spa and other sites in and near Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB) will play host to the event featuring approximately 500 players from more than 30 countries.

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The “Little Mo” Internationals is one of the premier junior tournaments for high-performing boys and girls ages 8-12, in addition to the “Big Mo” division for ages 13-16. The event is designed to provide outstanding competition at the international level while also encouraging players to develop new friendships, learn good sportsmanship, and most of all, have fun.

Current ATP and WTA stars who have participated in the tournament over the years include Gauff, Roddick, Dominic Thiem, Ryan Harrison, Taylor Townsend, Vasek Pospisil, Borna Coric, Madison Keys, Donald Young, Steve Johnson, Sonya Kenin, Denis Kudla, CiCi Bellis, Ana Konjuh, and Belinda Bencic.

Roddick won the “Little Mo” in 1992 at 10 years of age. Gauff won in 2012 at age 8.

In addition to the PGA the event will be using several other sites for the tournament including BallenIsles Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center, Jupiter Bay Tennis Club, and Jupiter Ocean & Racquet Club. Players will be competing in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles on clay courts.

Maureen “Little Mo” Connolly was known for her powerful groundstrokes, but more importantly for her exemplary sportsmanship on and off court. MCB also presents Sportsmanship and Kindness awards to two outstanding boys and girls at the tournament.

Connolly became the first woman to win the Grand Slam in 1953, capturing all four major tournaments (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US Open) in the same year. She is still the only American woman, at age 18, to accomplish the feat.

For additional tournament info go to www.mcbtennis.org.