Cambridge Tennis Club’s Fraser Richmond has always dreamed of securing a college scholarship to play tennis in America.
Last month, the Thomas Carr College year 10 student swapped the local tennis club’s courts behind Werribee Plaza for one-on-one lessons at an elite Swiss academy in the hope of taking a step towards his dream.
Fraser, 15, spent two weeks at Tennis Academy Zurich perfecting his game.
Each day he was put through his paces by some of the sport’s top coaches, taking part in gym sessions, drills and sprints around ovals despite freezing temperatures.
“It was intense,” Fraser says. “I trained every day for two weeks, but it was a great academy and I had a great coach.”
Fraser, who started playing tennis at age 4, doesn’t know why he took up the game.
“My family are very sporty. My cousin played college basketball, but no one ever played tennis,” he says.
“I love that tennis is an individual sport and that you have got to rely on yourself not to mess up.”
With college applications more than 12 months away, Fraser is focusing his attention on playing juniors and pennant tennis for Cambridge and coaching younger players.
“I train every day for at least two hours,” he says. “It’s still a year before I can apply, so I will just give it my best and see if I’ve got what it takes.’’
