Your coach:
Jeff Spiers, Hichem Yacoubi
How old were you when you started to play tennis, when did you join the Academy?
around 7 years old
What is next for you?
D1 tennis at Yale
Please share your academic or tennis related awards or achievements with us.
PTT Boston champion, J100 Calgary finalist, A few provincial titles, 2025 Canada Summer Games
How old you were when you started to take tennis seriously, what or who inspired or motivated you to do so?
I played competitively from nine years old. I wouldn't say I was driven by a particular inspiration, but I supposedly showed some potential and my family supported me to see how far I could take the sport.
What was your biggest challenge in obtaining your tennis goals?
Balancing high school and tennis really caught me off guard at first. Because of training and tournaments, I ended up learning much of my coursework by myself and always had to make up tests that I missed. Luckily, my school was very accommodating and I had plenty of resources that allowed me to pursue tennis alongside academics. I did need to get creative with my time management, like learning which tasks could be more flexible and where to best allocate my limited energy.
Please share your fondest memories from your training or competition with Aforza?
I really enjoyed the ITF trip to Honduras, which I found to be a great experience both from a tennis and personal growth perspective. Most of all, I'm grateful for the chance to show up everyday to a training environment where I felt supported and encouraged as a player.
Other comments or memories you’d like to share.
I'm deeply appreciative of all the time I spent at Aforza, and based on my experience, I would recommend this club to anyone!
Do you have any advice for other young players?
Don't just play to get better at tennis. There are a ton of lessons that you can take away from this sport, and many of your skills carry over to other aspects of your life (e.g. instant problem solving, overcoming plateaus, handling pressure, etc..). Also, UTR is just a number and focusing too much on it can be counterproductive. Put your energy into developing your game, and your results will naturally take care of themselves.
