Annabel Croft, who won junior Wimbledon at the age of 17, has some reservations about players moving on too quickly.
“When I was playing juniors, I was exactly like Hannah,” Croft said.
“The year that I won the juniors [Australian Open and Wimbledon titles] I was playing in the seniors at the same time. I was playing my idol Chris Evert out on Court One at Wimbledon in the third round and I wasn’t focused on the juniors whatsoever.
“I was way more excited about the prospects of playing senior Wimbledon and going up against the best in the world.
“But in hindsight, it’s one of my proudest moments and I realise I am going to be in that trophy cabinet forevermore.
“I think that no matter what happens she [Klugman] has got plenty of time to be putting herself up against the seniors but the one thing you can say about juniors is that you will never ever get that time again.
“So I totally get it but I just hope she doesn’t regret it.”
The WTA’s age eligibility rules limit 16-year-olds to 12 professional tournaments each year, although anyone who finishes the year in the top five of the junior rankings can play an extra four.
And so next year the professional tour can expect to see much more of the pair, who have been playing each other since their under-10 days.
Stojsavljevic, who names Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic as her idols, is a clean and powerful ball striker while Klugman can serve and volley and – in her own words – “does not play like a usual woman”.
“I’ve got slice, I like to change the rhythm up, mess the player up a little bit – and I’ve got a big serve,” she said at Wimbledon this year.
“I used to love Ash Barty and I also really like Emma Navarro as well.”
