Heather Watson: British superstar in making (Part II) – Tennis Special
The statement from Fisher in the previous part of this article clearly states that Watson was not similar to her age fellows. She was special, something extraordinary. At such young age, she was the role model for other youngsters.
On every Tuesday of the week, the British number one flew to Jersey to train there because the courts at Guernsey weren’t good enough for her and three other players. The flight was taken in the 16-man plane. Early morning, all of them left for Jersey and
late at night they came back; sometimes it was early morning of Wednesday too.
At the age of 17, Watson was ranked 287 in the junior’s category. She needed a swift jump to enter the biggest and most elitist stage of all. Fisher talked to her dad and they both approached some help from Lawn Tennis Association
who gave them their word and there began the journey of Watson.
Fisher said, “Heather did well. She climbed 100 places and made it to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. At that stage I’m not sure Nick Bollettieri had too firm an idea who she was, because the IMG Academy is a big place.
But going out there did suit her personality, because there was lots of social interaction. Her mum Michelle went out to the US to live with her from 2004 up until 2009, while her dad stayed behind to work, so the family made a lot of sacrifices.”
Elena Baltacha is the former British number one player who helped Watson a lot in her early days. Baltacha said of Watson, “She’s very quick, and very consistent.” When Laura Robson was chosen over her by the Olympics gold medallist,
Andy Murray, for the mixed doubles category, Watson was extremely frustrated and commented, “All right, I’ll show you.” However, Robson did prove her worth as well as the British duo made it to the finals before falling out to the champs.
Mauricio Hadad is the coach of Watson these days. Watson won in Osaka because his coach told her to about the conquest before than it even started. Hadad told her that she was capable of winning the tournament in Osaka and she
did. Moreover, the 20-year-old kid also replied her boss by stating that she has got this under control and she is going to engrave history in Japan.
Heather Watson deserves to be there where she is at the moment and will grow further if injuries don’t place hurdles in her way.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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