Charlie Camus to use Canberra International qualifying as springboard for tennis career

It doesn't make his chance to qualify for the Canberra International this weekend - the biggest tournament of his career so far - any less daunting or exciting. But it does put it in perspective.

Because if all goes according to plan over the next 12 months, the rising Canberra star will have ticked off four grand slam boxes as he aims to establish himself as one of the world's best juniors.

The best part is the journey starts on his home court in front of family and friends after being granted a spot in qualifying to try to earn a place in the main draw, where men's and women's players will compete for a share in the $282,000 prize pool.

"I'm pretty excited to get into and play someone who's in the top 200 in the world, it's going to be a great experience," Camus said.

"It's the start of the Aussie summer, so I'm excited. This is one of the biggest tournaments I've played, I can't wait.

"I'd love to go as far as possible and try to beat some of these guys, but I'll take it point by point and see where I go.

"[Junior] grand slams are the big goal this year, hopefully I can go deep and then just get as high as I can in junior rankings."

The Canberra International field has been all but settled, with the final wildcard recipients expected to be announced on Saturday before round one begins on Sunday.

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Camus has been given a spot in the qualifying and needs to win to advance to the main stage.

The 16-year-old is unfazed about potentially squaring off against players who have been ranked in the top 30 in the world, largely thanks to some star power in his corner over the past year.

Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt has emerged as a key mentor, inviting Camus into the Davis Cup squad on three occasions this year and then turning into a quasi coach for some junior tournaments in the United States.

It has given Camus a major boost in confidence. His junior ranking set to jump to No.40 on January 1, and if he maintains it or improves, he will be guaranteed a spot in the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open tournaments.

He made his Australian Open and French Open juniors debut this year, and wants to use that experience to go deep into the major events.

"Hopefully I can start making quarter-finals, semi-finals and even a final," Camus said.

"I'm just excited to play at all the grand slams, I hope I can do well at all four of them.

"I had some great experiences this year - the Davis Cup was a highlight. I got to know Lleyton a lot this year ... he was on the side of the court for some tournaments I played and was basically my coach.

"He's helped me a lot with advice ... little things technically.

"There were some good tournaments and some bad ones ... an up and down ride, but hopefully this summer I can kick-start something good for 2023."

Camus is part of the Tennis Australia development program and is being watched closely by the game's governing body after being earmarked as a star of the future.

He is on the verge of breaking into the top 1000 men's players in the world and spent the bulk of this year abroad getting crucial exposure and match practice.

The Canberra International qualifying - and main draw if he makes it - will be a chance to lay down the first marker of the biggest year of his burgeoning career.

He also has his sights set on playing in Traralgon in the second week of January before hitting Melbourne Park for the junior Open.

"You're not going win a tournament every week. There are going to be weeks where you lose in the first round, and there will be other good weeks," Camus said.

"That's tennis. You just have to know to ride the waves and that there are going to ups and downs. So knowing how to deal with that [after exposure this year] helps."

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January 1-7: Men's and women's tournament. Click or touch here to buy tickets to the tournament

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