With Wimbledon starting on Monday we wanted to shine a spotlight on two of The Abbey’s talented tennis players.
Gabriella, in Upper VI, plays for Caversham Lawn Tennis Club as well as Berkshire County and Hannah, also Upper VI, plays for Halton Tennis Club and Buckinghamshire County.
So how did they discover their love of the sport and who do they think will lift a Wimbledon trophy this year?
Gabby’s story…
How did she get into tennis? “My mum plays a lot of tennis, she’s a very good player so it runs in my family. My parents met playing tennis, my brother plays tennis and when I was around four I started playing. I played lots of other sports at the same time but then I realised tennis was the sport I really enjoyed.”
Gabby’s talent for the sport started to shine through in club matches, during tournaments in particular. She explains, “I was doing quite well against the boys and thought that maybe I should take this a bit more seriously and I had to look at different clubs to find more girls to play against. I realised that I like the individual nature of tennis because I like being in control of how I play. I used to play a lot of cricket as well which I liked as it’s a mixture of team and individual, but I like being the one responsible. If something went wrong I can be the one to change it and take control, rather than feeling like I’d let teammates down.”
Gabby really enjoys playing for Berkshire County, especially in the senior events. A particular favourite is a week-long county event in summer, “it’s high level and we play on grass courts. I feel like I’m surrounded by such good players which then pulls me on to play really well.” She also had an extremely successful club championship this year, “at Caversham there’s a tournament that my mum has won for many years and this year I beat her! I also beat a player that’s a lot better than me in the finals so it was a very proud moment. I was the women’s club champion and then me and my mum won the doubles – which was just nice to play together – and I came second in the mixed doubles!”
What does she enjoy about playing? “I definitely enjoy the break that it provides me from school studies and life. I think it’s also a really social sport and I really like getting outside exercising. I just like that feeling of being in control of what I’m doing rather than relying on teammates, you feel free, you can work hard and achieve your goals.”
“It’s definitely a very rewarding sport, you put in so much hard work and you have to train a lot. There’s the mental side of tennis as well – it’s very difficult, the individual side of it. When you’re playing well you can feel really free, you can go for your shots and it’s quite a rewarding feeling, which definitely boosts your confidence. When my tennis is going well, life is going well! But, it also has that other side to it, when it’s not going so well, you can feel quite out of control and that’s not a nice feeling – but because it’s an individual sport, you can do something about it.”
It’s inspiring to hear Gabby talk about how much tennis has impacted her, “my confidence flourished through playing tennis and I’m very thankful for giving me that.”
Gabby is currently studying A-level Geography, Economics and PE and has accepted an offer from Durham to study Geography. “I hope to pursue tennis at university and I want to compete in BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) which is the sport’s top level league at university – that is what I’m aiming for. Then I also want to continue playing for my club and my individual tournaments because I really enjoy the competition. I think it’s the competitions that really drive me on, so I hope to continue entering the British tour events. I can continue entering them when I turn 18, as there are events for that age group and I also want to continue playing for my county which I really enjoyed doing.”
So who inspires Gabby? “I like watching the British players, especially in the Billie Jean Cup. That’s my favorite event because a lot of the juniors coming up at the moment, I’ve played against a few of them when I was younger, so to see how they’ve really taken that step up and are making that transition to the pro tour – I find that really inspiring. To see how far they’ve come over the years is definitely a nice feeling.” In terms of a favourite player, Gabby explains that, “I used to like Naomi Osaka. She doesn’t play as much now as she used to but I always found it inspiring. She didn’t just put up with how things were in the tennis world, she’d make comments about interviews and was very brave about that. I know there’s been controversy around her but I like her game style, she’s very aggressive and I enjoy watching that kind of tennis.”
Gabby will be watching Wimbledon and is also excited to be going in person, “I think what makes it so special is the fact that you see so many of the best players in the world come together in one place that’s so close to us. We went on a school trip there last year and it was so special with so many people having a shared interest in something. It’s such a prestigious event, the grass courts are kept so nice, it’s so big and so many volunteers help out. I think when you actually go to events like that, it makes you realise that you want to work that bit harder because you can achieve that, it helps you aim for a goal.”
Who does she want to win? “I want the British to win but I don’t know who! Obviously [Emma] Raducanu winning would be the best thing ever but she’s not very likely to win. I think [Carlos] Alcaraz is likely to win the men’s. Women’s – [Elena] Rybakina. She’s doing very well at the moment, she’s very good on grass, so it could be her year.”
Hannah’s story…
Hannah’s whole family plays tennis and she has always really enjoyed playing together at a local club. She started out playing a lot of sports and, at one point, even played more netball than tennis.
Over time Hannah realised that tennis was the sport she enjoyed the most and around Lower IV she decided to step back from netball. Enjoying an individual sport, her coach encouraged her to start entering tennis tournaments. That is when Hannah got into competing and hasn’t looked back!
When she is playing, Hannah explains that, “I enjoy taking my mind off things. It’s quite a tactical sport – you have a lot to think about – and it’s nice to have a break from every other aspect of life.” She clearly gets a lot of satisfaction from playing, “because you’re all by yourself, and you did all that work for yourself, when you get a win or you play well, it’s such a rewarding thing. Being in control of yourself, doing everything yourself, it’s a really good feeling.”
Tennis has helped to shape who Hannah is today, “I think it’s very mentally one of the hardest sports and if you keep pushing through mentally, it can really help you with confidence. It really changes you in that way and also physically it’s very demanding.”
Hannah’s proudest achievement to date in tennis happened over Easter. She explains, “I played in a LTA Grade 3 regional level Under-18 doubles tournament – and my partner and I won! That’s probably my favorite achievement and also playing for Buckinghamshire County, I enjoy being in their squad.”
Hannah is studying A Level Maths, Biology and Chemistry and her next destination is hopefully Bath University to study Biochemistry where she would like to play tennis and compete in the BUCS League. She also wants to, “continue with county, club and National League matches, and hopefully one day reach British Tour level.”
Who is her favourite player? “I feel like everyone says this but Emma Raducanu. She’s achieved so much at such a young age – like winning the US Open at 18. It’s just so inspiring what you can do at such a young age and how she’s kept going, and kept achieving, and I really aspire to be like her one day.”
Hannah will be watching Wimbledon and loved the atmosphere when she went on the school trip last year, “everyone was really enjoying themselves and the respect for players there is so high. It’s just inspiring and you also want to get to play there!”
So who does she tip to win the tournament this year? “I think [Jannik] Sinner for the men’s, but I’d like Alcaraz to win – I just think he is better on grass. For women I think [Aryna] Sabalenka even though she’s not been doing the best – and especially not at Wimbledon – but she is world number one!”
