It’s widely known the Canberra flag will be flown at the Australian Open (AO) tennis men’s singles next January, however, it will also get a run in the women’s field.
Canberra-based tennis player, Monique Adamczak, will compete in the women’s doubles as she mounts a comeback from injury an injury suffered at the 2019 AO.
The 38-year-old world-ranked tennis star decided to return to professional tennis as a “show of strength” after getting through the disruptions of her injury, the pandemic temporarily shutting down the world tour last year, and her move to Canberra one year ago.
“I thought that if I could turn this around, then for me personally it would really show my character and resilience,” she said.
She will pair up at the AO with China’s Han Xinyun. The duo has successfully played together before, making the final of a 2019 WTA event in Switzerland.
Xinyun will arrive around Christmas, at which point she will meet up with Adamczak and begin their preparations together.
“It’s good to get on the same courts,” Adamczak said, “Ideally you’re trying to recreate that kind of environment you’re competing in, so we’ll get there early.”
Adamczak, who turned pro in 1998, is gearing up to compete, spending two-to-three hours on the court, six days a week while hitting the gym every second day.
“My days are pretty busy,” Adamczak said, “and still in around that I’ve got kids I’m coaching and mentoring with Tennis ACT, which has been nice too.”
“That’s part of giving back to grassroots, which has been nice since getting to Canberra.”
Her doubles career, the “second part my career,” as Adamczak called it, has proven more successful than her singles career. It’s lead to a career-high doubles world ranking of no. 44, plus the chance to play all four grand slam tournaments and some high-end WTA events.
“It’s been pretty special,” she said, “but obviously nothing beats the Aussie Open fans.”
Canberra ‘idyllic’ for tennis
Having moved to Canberra a year ago, Adamczak splits her training between Reid Tennis Club, the AIS and the Lyneham Tennis Centre, and has been blown away by the community support.
“Reid has been really good to me,” she smiled, “and they’re obviously looking forward to when I start playing so they can get behind me for the summer.”
Having now settled in to Canberra living, Adamczak said tennis is very accessible in Canberra when compared to Sydney, with travel a breeze and good facilities right across town.
“I know Tennis ACT work pretty hard to get events out in those various clubs and to get girls involved in the sport, which is really encouraging.
“There’s lots of little initiatives going on that can really help people participate for all their life in tennis.
Hitting the courts over her first Canberra winter, however, took some getting used to.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever played wearing five layers,” Adamczak smiled.
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