Q.) You are running to be on the ITF player council – tell us about the main changes you want to make to improve the ITF circuit and how we can support your bid?
A.) My main goal is to change things that can be fixed instantaneously, for example the 10 point tie breaker played for the third set in qualifying matches, the majority of players dislike this rule and changing it to, say, a short set to four games (tie break to seven at three games each) would still keep matches a lot shorter but still allow players to get a rhythm in the third set.
This brings me to the following part, the playing of two matches in one day, sometimes organisers try to squeeze all of the qualifying matches in one day then give a day off to the qualifiers before they start main draw, if the ITF would have just taken a couple of minutes to create a survey and ask the players if they would rather play two matches a day and have a day off or one match per day, they would see that the majority of players are against having to play two a day. These would be pretty instantaneous fixes and make a lot of players happy. These would be my first changes to the tour, I have gone in more depth about my long-term goals in my pamphlet.
Q.) Over this lockdown period, I’ve really researched the struggles that ITF players have, listening to interviews with yourself and Alicia Barnett has been interesting. Players playing with injuries to cover costs, playing paying for their own accommodation and travel at ITF tournaments, at most events players can only make profit if they win the tournament…it shouldn’t be like that, should it? Do you feel this time has allowed players to have a voice and it will make a difference to the future of the sport?
A.) I think what you’ve described, are fundamental issues inside the tennis community. They’ve been happening for years and have been kind of ignored by everyone as we are all just tennis players and want to play tennis. However, this pandemic has made everyone much more aware of the flaws in our system and hopefully we all can bring together a positive move forward from these trying times.
Q.) Lastly on the player council bid, you have previously talked about a ‘player pension’ scheme. If players dedicate their lives to tennis, play professionally for 10+ years and help to improve the sport, they shouldn’t walk away from the game with nothing. Could you just elaborate how you think this can be introduced as it’s an interesting point…
A.) I think many players give a lot to the tennis world and after they retire, have nothing to show for it. My idea is to take part of each players entry fee paid (players have to pay $40 to enter any tournament) and for the ITF to start a pension fund for each individual player. The player would have the option to either cash the pension at the end of each year they’ve competed, or wait until they retire. The ins and outs of it could perhaps be discussed in more depth but that’s the general gist of what I’d like to do.
Q.) Nine ITF singles titles and 12 ITF doubles titles. You must look at those numbers with immense pride, what is the key to being successful in both singles and doubles consistently?
I think for anything in life, to be happy and enjoying what your doing every day makes a big difference.
Q.) You reached 11 doubles finals with Conny Perrin, what is needed to make a successful doubles partnership?
A.) We played consistently over a couple of years and built a good understanding of each other and each other’s game. I believe that’s important for any doubles pairing.
Q.) Over the past few years, you have spent the majority of your time touring and playing tennis. Are you taking this period as an opportunity to rest, or are you still training and preparing for future tournaments?
A.) I actually had much needed shoulder surgery, I’ve been struggling with pain in my shoulder on and off pretty much my whole career and I kept putting off having surgery simply because I knew I would need a lot of time to recover and wasn’t sure I’d let myself heal properly when play was still happening, so I’ve used this time to heal my body and reset.
Q.) Over the past 18 months, you have formed a great partnership with American Emina Bektas, reaching 4 ITF titles…do you have high hopes that you can rise the rankings and win more titles with Emina?
A.) Emina’s back must hurt from carrying me all the time in doubles haha! She’s a great player and I’m sure we can continue improving.
Q.) The new crop of women players coming through are so exciting to watch, Bianca Andreescu, Jelena Ostapenko, Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin are already grand slam champions. Which youngster do you enjoy watching and why?
A.) I think all of the younger generation bring great quality and traits to the game of tennis and it’s exciting to see their passion flow through on to the tennis court. I couldn’t pick one!
Q.) If there is an aspiring tennis player reading this, what advice would you give to them?
A.) I would tell them to enjoy every minute of their career and treasure every moment, even the bad ones. Tennis is unique in the fact that we’re travelling all the time and experiencing new destinations and experiences. It can often pass us by very quickly.
Thanks a lot to Tara for the interview, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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