connections

When I re ect on my playing career, it is not the on-court achievements that most stand out. I’m prouder of the friendships I’ve been able to make, and continue to enjoy, through tennis.

Forming these connections is what life is about and you can’t put a price on that.

My Early Years

I started playing at the Kingsley Tennis Club in the northern suburbs of Perth. My mum, my nan, my pop and my aunties all played, so I had a lot of family connections at the club. That’s probably what drew me there in the rst place. It is also where my childhood best friend, Amy, played. We grew up on the same street, went to the same schools and had a lot of fun learning to play tennis together. She’s still one of my best friends to this day.

Although I played a lot of di erent sports growing up, I really enjoyed spending my weekends with my friends at the tennis club. Sometimes we’d just be there having a hit, other times we’d play in tournaments.

I remember winning a few trophies, but my core memories are spending time o -court with my friends and having my family around. I loved that community feeling and that’s what helped me fall in love with the sport.

Aussie Inspirations

I always had a dream of playing for Australia. So, when I rst started playing professionally, I looked up to the girls in our Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) team. I really wanted to be part of the team with Nicole Pratt, Rennae Stubbs, Alicia Molik and Sam Stosur.

When I knew I was getting close, that created healthy

Although we’ve all since retired from competing and are in di erent stages of our lives now, we remain great friends.

Orange Girl

One of the great traditions in Australian tennis is the orange girl/boy role in our representative teams. At every Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup tie, a promising player is invited to accompany the team in a supportive role.

I was 17 years old when I was named orange girl for a competition and drove me to work even harder to improve.

All four of those players really guided me during my years on tour too. Stubbsy always felt like someone I could lean on whenever I needed anything. Alicia, Pratty and Sam were the same. I’ve played a lot of doubles with all of them, which helped us form strong friendships early on.

World Group qualifying tie against the Netherlands in Wollongong. The legendary Evonne Goolagong Cawley was the captain at the time and the experience was just amazing. I got to practise with the girls and see the level they were at, as well as see the strong friendships they all had. It was an experience that further ignited my dream to play for Australia. Being selected to wear the green and gold is the pinnacle of our sport and I really wanted to ght extra hard be part of that team.

Green And Gold

I proudly made my Billie Jean King Cup debut four years later at an Asia-Oceania qualifying tie in South Korea, where I won a playo against Alicia for the second singles spot.

We won the tie and I remember all of the team going out for dinner and drinks to celebrate. We ended the night laughing together on a dance floor, which was such a fun time. I was feeling on top of the world and still smile when I think about that night.

That’s what made wearing the green and gold so special. It was the strong camaraderie and friendships. These were, without doubt, my favourite weeks of the year. I really enjoyed the team environment and spending time with the girls. The tour can be a bit of a grind sometimes, especially the long weeks on the road alone. Looking forward to team events really saved me in a sense, especially in my early years on tour when I was driven by earning my place in the team.

Happy Memories

All of my fondest memories of representing Australia actually happened o the court. They come from the team dinners, especially the crazy hat nights which became a much-loved and highly competitive tradition prior to every tie. Sometimes it happened in the medical rooms when we’d be lying on the massage tables and sharing stories with the team. And then, of course, from the celebrations a er a win.

Even if we lost, it was nice to walk o the court and know the team would still be proud if you gave your all. It’s quite rare in professional tennis to have that real sense of support and community.

As I got older, I wanted to make sure that all the girls who got their Australian number felt the same support that I had. We always opened our arms to welcome the younger players.