THE lockdown may have put a damper on a lot of things, but definitely not on the spirits of young Craig Simes, 18, who displays potential and talent on the tennis court.
He started playing tennis at the age of 10 and has been swinging his racket ever since. “My mom introduced me to the sport when we first went down to Brighton Tennis Club (BTC) for my very first lesson with Natalie Grandin. You can say that the love of tennis runs through the family and it has definitely become my passion for sure,” he said.
He officially joined BTC as a member when he was 12-years-old. He loves that the sport requires effort and self-motivation in order to see and achieve great results.
With the sport having taken a long break due to Covid-19 lockdown, Craig misses participating in tournaments with other clubs, where his talent really shines through. “At the moment we’re just trying to get back into the swing of things and hope to play in tournaments soon. I particularly enjoy the Coca-Cola Tennis Tournament that we host here at the club, it is always a lot of fun,” he said and looks forward to earning his stripes in the sport as well as hopes to play professionally overseas after finishing his studies.
He loves anything and everything about tennis.
I’d like to say I’ve got a good touch on me. So where most play like to play hard, I on the other hand, simply tap the ball back, which I have found to be quite effective. The only challenging thing about tennis, is probably the mental game and focus required when playing against your opponent.
The budding tennis star also imparts some of his skills to younger hopefuls, by helping out at the weekly tennis lessons held at the club run by Natalie. He looks up to a lot of famous players but Alex de Minaur, a young Australian tennis star, is his main role model. His mom, Nicola, is his biggest supporter and is always there for him in all that he puts his mind to.
He is a Grade 12 learner at The Kenmont School on the Bluff and admits that the lockdown has been very frustrating both with the restrictions on the court, as well as academically, but is happy that he can play once again.
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