Jones eyes already on the top prizes
WHILE Queensland continues to celebrate born and bred grand slam hero Ashleigh Barty, a Gold Coast tennis ace is quietly planning his own international triumph.
Hayden Jones and his younger sister Emerson have been named in the Queensland squad to compete at the Australian Teams Tennis Championships on the Gold Coast later this month ... though Hayden already has his sights on the international circuit.
“I want to win Wimbledon one day,” the KDV Sporttrained prodigy said.
Jones’s chances of international success are backed up by an impressive tennis resume which includes the 12year-old winning the Junior Clay Court Championships in Canberra earlier this year.
“I’ve always wanted to win a national title so it was pretty great,” he said.
Not to be outdone by her older brother, Emerson is also making waves on the Australian tennis scene and is expected to be named the No.1 player in Australia for her age when the rankings are released in coming days.
“That would be really cool,” she said of a potential podium ranking.
The 10-year-old, who grew up watching her brother play and decided to give tennis a crack, said that the rivalry between the two was fierce.
“We’re really competitive with each other,” she said. “We do have a go at each other when we have a hit and try to whack each other off the court.”
The siblings’ sporting prowess is understandable given that mum, Loretta Harrop, is a former Australian triathlete and Olympic silver medallist while dad Brad Jones is a QAFL Grogan Medal winner.
Despite both Hayden and Emerson choosing tennis in favour of her sporting love, Harrop said she still helped her children with the mental side of sport despite admitting she didn’t know a lot about tennis before her kids became involved.
“I’ve tried to sway them, trust me, but tennis is their love,” she said.
“They do well in their swimming carnivals and cross country at school but it’s not a love, whereas with tennis when you ask them, they have big dreams so it’s important to do what you’re passionate about.”
The Australian Teams Championship starts at KDV Sport on June 30. It’s the first time the pinnacle junior teams age event has been held outside of Melbourne, with all states attending as well as international line-ups.
I WANT TO WIN WIMBLEDON ONE DAY TENNIS TALENT HAYDEN JONES