“I live and breathe tennis. I love it. It taught me so many things. It has given me the best memories and I cherish every moment that I have on court,” Crystal told SBS Filipino.
She started playing this sport at the age of nine, inspired by her siblings who were avid fans of the sport – watching it on TV and playing it for leisure.
As a child, this sparked an interest in her. So she picked up a racquet – her sister brought her to a tennis club – and she began to train.
This head-turner has been winning tournaments since then; one that stood out for her happened back in 2016 when she won the Australian Grasscourt Championship held in Adelaide, South Australia.
“It was a good tournament overall, actually. I went there with the intention of playing the best tennis that I could, just focusing round by round,” shared Crystal.
The young Perthian also saw a part of herself in retired Polish tennis player, Agnieszka Radwanska. She pointed at their similarities in height and strength of hitting the ball.
“So the reason being, she’s quite small and she doesn’t hit the ball very hard – something I can relate to. But she wins through heart, she wins through speed, accuracy and that’s something I can really look up to.”
Playing tennis for eight years, Crystal has not experienced any downside of being a female in this sport. What she encountered was common to happen to athletes of any gender – that is, injury.
While females are known to be emotional, Crystal defied it especially when she plays tennis: “I’m not a very big and strong player. I have to win through outsmarting my opponent. So being mentally strong and calm is so important to me when I play tennis.”
Crystal’s end goal is to be a professional tennis player someday. She also plans to move to the United States to take up a double degree in Sports Psychology and Physiotherapy.
She learned a lot in playing tennis and has these words to leave for everyone: “Never give up. I think it’s definitely important. It’s never over until it’s over. Just believe in yourself.”
She also said that after her injury, it taught her to cherish every moment on court and not to take it for granted because ‘tennis is the best sport in the world.’
Listen to the full interview.
ALSO READ/ LISTEN TO:
When tennis becomes more than just a sport for these teen athletes
