Reigning under-14 Catch National Junior Tennis Champion, Rebecca Roberts, will be looking for her third victory in the tournament as she prepares for 24th annual edition set for April. Roberts, daughter of Minister of Sport Anil Roberts, is confident she will be able to smash her way to another victory in the tournament. The form three Maple Leaf International School student, is no stranger to the tournament, having won it twice already. She first entered in 2007 when she was ten years old; that being her first ever tournament. Roberts made a promising debut, going all the way to the finals that year.
Although she emerged runner-up, it was the beginning of a succesful athletic career. Only four years have passed since that first tournament and she already boasts an impressive track record, including winning the Sagicor Junior Tournament twice. Her most recent success was being crowned the 2011 RBC Royal Bank Junior Tennis Tournament under-14 champion in December. Roberts advanced to the finals after defeating Dominque Coutain in the semifinals. She went under 2-4 in the first set but rebounded in the other two (4-2, 10-7) to seal a spot in the final round. In the finals, the 14-year-old produced the performance of the day when she stunned Tobagonian Dajohnique Delancy, an International Tennis Federation singles and doubles champ, 4-1, 5-4 (7/3) to seal the victory. Speaking in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Roberts said she was very happy about her recent success, particularly as she defeated an internationally-ranked foe. "I played the girl (Delancy) a few times before, so I knew how she plays and I worked out before what shots I should play. I was nervous at first, because she hits the ball very powerfully. "However, when I started playing and I won the first set, I got confident that I could win. I was very happy when I eventually beat her."
When asked if she feels pressured to perform being the sports minister's daughter, Roberts replied: " No, I don't really feel pressured. I just go out there and play my best."
Roberts has a packed weekly schedule, training from Monday to Friday with coach Andrew Awai from 5-7 pm at the CIC Tennis Courts in the St James Barracks. When asked how she manages to balance her academic life with such a taxing training schedule, Roberts said she tried to get as much work done before and after she did her evening training. Roberts was first introduced to the sport at the tender age of four by her father. She says she loves the sport but said she is not too sure about making a career out of tennis. One of her long-term goals is to get a sports scholarship to major in Marine Biology. "I like to play tennis. I think it's fun but, I don't think that I want to pick it up as a career for the rest of my life. "I'll never give it up though, I'll still do it as a hobby even when I give it up professionally." Roberts looks up to her mom who diligently takes her to all her practices and tournaments. "(I look up to) my mom, she's a good woman. I owe a lot to her...she takes me to all my practices and tournaments." Roberts is in good form to claim another victory in the national tournament this year, and has the full support of her family who backs her all the way.
