Canberra teen sensation Charlie Camus has completed his cross-country switch, cutting ties with the Australian system to forge a career as a Frenchman.
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The surprise change was confirmed by Camus' management this week after The Canberra Times reported his likely defection after it emerged he had left the National Tennis Academy in Brisbane.
Camus' exit is a blow to Australian tennis given he won the award as the country's best junior player at the John Newcombe Medal last month.
He is currently playing in New Caledonia and it's unclear if he will get a spot in Australian Open qualifying next week, or take part in the junior boys main draw.
The 17-year-old finished last year as the world No. 36 in the junior boys rankings, but has moved up to No. 17 in the 2024 changeover.
"The decision for Charlie to play for France was made by the family based upon the program that they believed was best for Charlie's tennis development at this time," Camus' agent said in a statement to The Age.
"The overall program put together by the FFT [French Tennis Federation] was simply more comprehensive. [Younger brother] Tommy will continue playing for Australia."
Camus was granted a qualifying spot at the Canberra International this time last year, but his move to France meant he was scheduled to play in Noumea instead of his hometown.
Tennis Australia did not respond to questions on Wednesday and Camus' father, Olivier - who played international hockey for France - directed requests for comment to Camus' agent.
![Charlie Camus played at the Canberra International last year. Picture by Keegan Carroll Charlie Camus played at the Canberra International last year. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/829b80f3-1ded-4855-b072-78ac8c90f569.jpg/r0_263_3387_2175_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Camus has been a product of the Tennis ACT system and has regularly trained with Nick Kyrgios at Lyneham after the pair first crossed paths almost a decade ago.
His younger brother Tommy is also considered a star of the future. He finished as the runner up in the under-12 boys singles at the Australian Tour Masters finals in Melbourne last month.
Australian tennis officials, including Wally Masur, had been keeping a close eye on Camus' development before his defection to France.
He was previously coached by his dad Olivier, and Australian great Lleyton Hewitt once described him as one of the "brightest up-and-coming players in Australian tennis".
"He's got game, there's no question about it," Masur told The Canberra Times last month.
"He's a talented player making his mark in the ITF junior levels. But it's a slog as an international game. It's about the resiliency you have to acquire bouncing back from disappointment, and the biggest thing right now is also the physicality of the game.
"... He's travelling in a really good direction," Masur said.
"It's important what he's doing on the court, and also how he develops his body, getting ready for the rigours of the tour - these are all the challenges for young Charlie going forward."