Grand Slam George: teen with a dream
George Stoupe knows what he wants to achieve in tennis.
The 13-year-old Hutt International Boys student dreams of making tennis history.
‘‘Some of my tennis goals are to be ranked in the top five ATP Tour rankings, to play in the New Zealand Davis Cup team and to win a Grand Slam.’’
The only New Zealander to win a Grand Slam event is Anthony Wilding, who won Wimbledon four times before World War One.
New Zealand has a good record in tennis with players such as Onny Parun, Chris Lewis, Jeff Simpson and Kelly Everden all performing well. In recent years, however, New Zealand has struggled to produce top male players.
George knows succeeding from here will be a huge challenge, and the standard locally does not prepare players for the pro circuit.
‘‘To achieve those goals I will have to train hard and put in a lot of hours training with Marc Paulik (his coach) and by myself, with the help of mum and dad.’’
His mum, Louise Stoupe, is aware that if he stays in New Zealand George will quickly fall behind players from countries such as Australia, where junior tennis is taken very seriously.
At the very least he will have to travel regularly to overseas competitions or base himself in Australia or America.
Although he has the backing of Tennis New Zealand (TNZ), she says the family are waiting to see how his career develops before deciding their strategy.
Ranked No 2 in his age group, George played in Australia five times in 2014 and for the second year in a row has been selected by TNZ as a Targeted Athlete.
This month he will play in Thailand and in June he is off to Europe.
TNZ are meeting the cost of the airfares and accommodation but his parents have to pick up costs, including food and gear.
George knows the trip is an opportunity to make his mark and he is determined to do well. Success will take a lot of hard work and that is exactly what he is doing.
His six day a week training schedule is tough.
As well as working with his coach for 15 hours, he does four to five hours of strength work and conditioning, plays two or three practice matches and has a regular set of drills.
Paulick says it is the sort of commitment convinces him George can succeed.
‘‘In my 13 years coaching, George is the first person I have come into contact with who stands out as someone who could be a professional tennis player.’’
As well as being prepared to work hard, Paulick says his young charge has ‘‘exceptional’’ hand-to-eye coordination and speed.
His love of the game will also take him a long way, he says.
Since taking up tennis as a five year-old with the Glen Iris Club, George has put together an impressive record.
He began competing in tournaments at nine and has won 21 singles titles. This year he made his debut for Lower Hutt Tennis Club playing in their premier team.
Playing and beating men in interclub is an interesting experi- ence, he says.
‘‘I don’t think they like it. They definitely don’t like it.’’