Who is your sporting idol?

Roger Federer has been my sporting idol from a young age, and not only because I have been forced to watch videos of his impeccable technique and footwork by all of my tennis coaches growing up! From a female role model perspective, I was also inspired throughout my junior tennis career by Li Na’s grit and determination in winning her second grand slam.

“Tennis is not only a battle of physicality but also of the mind”

What’s been your funniest moment with the Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club?

CULTC is an incredible community which definitely knows how to have some fun off-court! We have really stepped it up this year with the socials and events, which has allowed the club to integrate even more and has personally given me some of my best memories at Cambridge. For a Blues exclusive, initiation was definitely a highlight as we commanded the city as the cast of Despicable Me…

Why tennis?

Tennis is a brilliant sport which has given me some of my closest friends the highest of highs and lowest of lows. It is both the most rewarding and hardest sport you can ever play. Enduring the challenges and lessons of competitive tennis from a young age has shaped me to be the ambitious person I am today, not only in sport but also in life! Outsiders looking into the sport often underestimate the tenacity and effort needed to compete in tennis at a high level; tennis is not only a battle of physicality but also of the mind.

“We finished joint-top of the Premier South League for the first time in Cambridge history”

What is your favourite part about being Captain?

My favourite thing about being Women’s Blues Captain is building a team which is not only family on-court, but also off-court. Throughout Michaelmas, the women’s first team (W1) have become exceptionally close friends and teammates, which has allowed us to enjoy all of our matches (and win them!). I have absolutely loved captaining the Blues thus far and look forward to the rest of the season with the team!

What is the toughest thing about being Captain?

The toughest thing about being Captain is definitely being the focal point of motivation, support, and organisation for the team, whether this be in training, matches, or helping new players balance the Cambridge workload with the expectations of Blues Tennis. It is important to drive the ambition of the team but to also acknowledge the challenges of life and our degrees which make competitive tennis demanding at times.

How did last term go?

W1 has had an incredibly successful term, having not lost a single BUCS fixture this year, which meant we finished joint-top of the Premier South League for the first time in Cambridge history. In our last BUCS match of Michaelmas against Exeter, we managed to achieve a 4/4 clean sweep in our singles matches allowing us to end 2024 on a high!

What are your predictions for the rest of the season?

Our next big fixture will be at the end of January where our top four Blues players will be playing against the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) at the Wimbledon All England Club. The team is really looking forward to playing at one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, and there will undoubtedly be some incredible matches! Following this, we have the BUCS National Cup, our annual Old Blues fixture, and finally Varsity, which will be on the weekend of the 28th of June. I never tend to make predictions on our fixtures as I think it gives us unnecessary pressure, but a vengeful Varsity is definitely a goal for the team!

How do you manage to balance your elite sport play with a Cambridge workload?

A very organised daily, weekly, and monthly schedule! My daily routine on a “bad day” consists of a 5 am wake-up to cycle to training, which finishes at 9 am, then cycling straight to back-to-back lectures, which finish at 1 pm, followed by supervisions in the afternoon. Undoubtedly, this can be tough on the body and mind, especially when you still need to study more after this and rehab yourself to be ready to do it all again the next day! However, all of us love the sport, the team, and the rewarding feeling of success which comes from our hard work. All the girls do a great job in managing the workload and the expectations of Blues tennis, but they also know when they need a rest day which makes me a very proud captain!

How can people get involved with tennis at Cambridge?

For complete beginners, we have ‘Give it a Go’ sessions every Saturday which are coached sessions allowing you to see if tennis is for you, alongside friends and like-minded individuals. Social tennis, coached by W1/M1 and W2/M2 players, also occurs every weekend and caters for abilities from beginners to intermediate. We have had a huge uptake for social tennis this year which has been a great way for many people across the university to make friends, find players to hit with in their own time, and join social events off-court. If you are interested in getting involved with ‘Give it a Go’ or social tennis, please get in contact with Carissa (cefr3@cam.ac.uk) who is our social tennis representative!

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