Tennis playing Selby girl eyes top ranking
A young tennis player from Selby is hitting all the aces as she trains hard to be the sport's next star.
District
Twelve-year-old Leona Clarkson is no stranger to punching above her weight and, according to her coaches, is already showing maturity levels associated with professionals despite her young age.
Leona is making strong progress as she moves up the sport's rankings and last month defeated British Under-12s Number 3, Holly Staff, to bag the top prize in the Under 14s category of the Lawn Tennis Association’s Birchwood Junior Open. Her winning score, 4-6, 6-3, [1-0](8).
Her victory is thanks to the dedication and hard work she has been putting as she aims to making it big like her idol, Rasael Nadal. Every week Leona clocks up nearly 20 hours on the practice courts at Goole Tennis Centre and also accesses Yorkshire's only tennis High Performance Centre at Nuffield.
The hard work seems to be paying off. Just days after taking her Birchwood title she followed it up magnificently with a quarter-final appearance at the Batley Grade 3 Junior Open on November 1.
Leona, who first picked up her tennis racket at just six years old told Selby Online, “Simply, I want to be the best player that I can possibly be.
“I am trying to improve all aspects of my game but in particular I am trying to improve and maintain a positive and smart mental approach in matches.”