Aussie Open Jr Champ Priska Madelyn Nugroho: I Am Ready for Professional Life

Priska Madelyn Nugroho, of Indonesia, who won the Australian Open girls juniors doubles title with Filipina partner Alexandra Eala says her immediate goal is to be in the top 100 and she gives herself another four to five years to achieve the same.

Speaking to the Gulf News in Dubai, the 16 year old says, "My highest goal at the moment is to be a professional tennis player, and I want to be in the top-100. That’s going to be the immediate goal. Yes, I do need a lot of confidence and along with it even more hard work, and I am ready for this life. I give myself another four to five years to achieve this. Everyone keeps asking me about how life is different following my win in Australia. In the final it was not too difficult, but our true test came in the semi-finals. “The experience of being a champion is great. I can feel people recognise me more now, but I continue this life because I have chosen this life. And if at all there is something, then it is the desire to work and practice even harder and be ready at every moment of life later on. When I started tennis, I didn’t believe I could be here as a Grand Slam winner. When I started it was just fun, but today when I recollect that I have won the Australian Open, I just think that I merely tried my best on court."

Nugroho says she started going to the tennis court to accompany her brother and later moved to playing. "At first, I was just the assistant to my brother. I used to go to the court and help pick up tennis balls. I enjoyed this part of my life and then at around seven years I entered a tournament at the academy and won it. Today, when I look back I feel that was the actual start of my love for tennis. There is nothing more sweet than winning. After that win I started practicing once a week, and then increased this to twice and three times a week. My parents had no background of tennis, but they encouraged me I whatever way they could. Slowly, I started increasing my time on a tennis court and at the moment I spend six to seven hours a day doing all the drill and the hard work for six days a week.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3aw4uqH