Price has ‘all the tools’ to be a tennis success
Winton tennis player Emilia Price leaves on Tuesday for under-18 tournaments in New Caledonia, Fiji and Queensland.
The tournaments form a junior tour on the International Tennis Federation calendar. Points earned by players help them gain entry to major events, such as the Wimbledon Junior Championships in London.
In September, Price, 14, will travel to Florida for the second time this year for another three months of training and tournament play under the guidance of Werner Venter.
One of Price’s New Zealand coaches, Lan Bale, arranged for her to be coached by Venter from March to May. On that trip, she won two tournaments and two consolations.
Price beat one of Venezuela’s top 14-year-old girls in the Broward Championship in Florida.
Bale and Venter organised for Brisbane-based Emma Hayman to coach Price before and during the Oceania tour.
Hayman, who has coached the teenager in Winton in recent weeks, played for New Zealand at the Federation Cup and competed on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour.
She said Price had good hands, a huge serve and other attributes needed to go further in tennis.
‘‘She’s got all the tools and getting help from the right people,’’ Hayman said.
Price is among the top four 14-year-old girls in New Zealand. She and Monique Barry, of Perth, won the girls’ doubles for their age-group at the New Zealand nationals in Auckland in January.
Last year, Price finished second in a tier three Tennis Europe event at Amstelpark in the Netherlands.
‘‘I definitely improved a lot when I went to Florida [earlier this year],’’ said Price, who owns five tennis rackets.
With more overseas trips planned, Price recently switched her education from Central Southland College to online studies through Te Kura New Zealand Correspondence School.