Double award win for Elland’s Phoebe Suthers after a stellar twelve months
ELLAND’S 17-YEAR-OLD Phoebe Suthers has double reason to celebrate at the end of a difficult 2020 after being voted Young Deaf Sports Personality of the Year for the first time, as well as being an integral member of the LTA’s Great Britain Deaf Tennis Team who were named Team of the Year.
Suthers was one of five shortlisted nominees from tennis after a stellar 2019 and 2020. All shortlisted nominees went forward to an online public vote in early December, with Suthers and her teammates voted the winners in three categories.
Suthers won a full set of gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2019 World Deaf Tennis Championships in Antalya, Turkey, where Great Britain won a total of five medals. She won her gold medal in the junior mixed doubles alongside teammate Esah Hayat, who was also shortlisted for the Young Deaf Sports Personality award. On learning that she had won,
Suthers said: “Winning this award is the perfect ending to a difficult year. I’m also delighted to be part of the GB deaf tennis team’s achievement and delighted for Cathy Fletcher for winning coach of the year. This is all great news and a reflection of all the hard work and commitment that goes into making our performances and successes.”
As well as winning the junior mixed doubles gold medal at the 2019 World Championships, Suthers also won silver in the senior mixed doubles alongside Wiltshire’s Lewis Fletcher and bronze in the junior girls’ singles, while she also reached the women’s doubles bronze medal match with Middlesex’s Valerie Copenhagen.
Alongside her success in deaf tennis, Suthers was also part of the Yorkshire Under 18 Girls team that were runners-up in Division One of their LTA County Cup event in 2019, winning three of the six singles and doubles matches she played.
Suthers has her sights set on making her debut at the Deaflympics in 2021.
“I’m very excited about 2021,” she said, “especially about the proposed Deaflympics. 2021 is a big year for me, with both my A levels and wanting to achieve medal success on the tennis courts. I will be giving it my best shot.”