ON THE PLAYING DAYS

Q I hear you were a decent player in your early days. Can you tell us a little about Paul Horn as a tennis player? A Yes, I played a lot as a junior and was lucky to have a dad who was a great tennis coach. I started playing at age five, and at 10 I won three Queensland singles titles and a doubles title and was the 1985 Cairns Post Junior Sportsperson of the Year. I was consistently ranked in the top three in Queensland throughout my junior career. I was lucky enough to travel all around Australia, had great experiences and made a lot of friends who are still involved in tennis today. As an adult, I won several open men’s singles and doubles titles in North Queensland, and I am the youngest ever winner of the FNQ Open Men’s Singles title at age 15. I kept playing tennis throughout the north through to age 30, at which time I was becoming Q busier with work and family. What brought you into the game of tennis as a kid? A My dad Tom Horn (pictured), was my coach and he started my brother and I playing at a young age and we both loved tennis. Dad still coaches six days a week at age 73 and still loves the sport. Q This month must be very exciting for a tennis fan in Australia. Do you catch yourself watching far too much tennis with all the tournaments on? A I love watching most sports but definitely it is great to have the summer of tennis for the month of January on TV. I have definitely watched a lot of tennis this year as I was lucky enough to attend the Brisbane International as a board member and was able to see five days of tennis, including all of the finals.