Hey all! A while back a few of you mentioned that you'd like to read articles from players from small nations so I thought I'd share an interview I've just complete with Abigail Tere-Apisah. She's 25 and Papua New Guinea's number one player on the WTA tour. Inside the top 350, she was one match away from winning a wild card at the Australian Open! Her country has very little tennis facilities and she has to fund her tennis career herself. It's pretty fascinating and I hope you agree! Her doubles partner is Naiktha Bains, so that's so British relation (clutching...)
Let me know what you think! :) https://thebigracket.org/2018/01/09/abigail-tere-apisah-breaking-new-grounds-for-papua-new-guinean-tennis/
Really enjoyed it. Paints the picture of a tennis reality that you can't relate to, but yet seems strangely familiar from the reported experiences of our low level players. There's both a globallity to the existence and an simultaneous other-worldliness to it. Full of good detail.
I'm reminded of the famous final lines of the 1948 noir, 'Naked City', "There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them." So many tennis stories to tell, and we usually focus on about three of them.
Thank you for making the effort to go beyond the normal.
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Data I post, opinions I offer, 'facts' I assert, are almost certainly all stupidly wrong.
PNG is a hotbed of Tennis its just their best qualified player chooses to play for us! Go Hev.
Having parents who are both Tennis coaches and an older brother who plays is the perfect set up for a young lady who wants to become good at Tennis. I cant help but think that is almost more important than where you come from.
Good luck to her and a great initiative by the ITF re the Pacific Islands team.
-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Wednesday 10th of January 2018 06:58:25 AM
Yes, I enjoyed the article too thanks Nick. I see Abigail is 25 now - you don't give her age in the article - and achieved her CH in November last year (and doubles of 244). Well, I hope she can continue her upward momentum a little further, since she still won't be making any money where she is, so continuing to play will remain a challenge. Maybe she and Naiktha can make more of their doubles together...
PNG is a hotbed of Tennis its just their best qualified player chooses to play for us! Go Hev.
Having parents who are both Tennis coaches and an older brother who plays is the perfect set up for a young lady who wants to become good at Tennis. I cant help but think that is almost more important than where you come from.
Good luck to her and a great initiative by the ITF re the Pacific Islands team.
-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Wednesday 10th of January 2018 06:58:25 AM
Quite.
The only other factor is money. With that complete package, you can get a great grounding in the game through your parents then go off and train wherever you like at a later age.
The LTA provides no substitute for any of that. The broad idea that young British players are well accommodated in their elite tennis development thanks the LTA is so off the mark.
