The occasional weed is sprouting by way of the odd crack on the inexperienced concrete tennis courtroom of the Graceville Uniting Church close to Brisbane.
A few miles away from the Queensland Tennis Centre, the place world primary Iga Swiatek was among the many names competing in January’s United Cup, 14-year-old Liv Wooden is testing her backhand towards tempo and spin.
Liv is the eldest daughter of Ray Wooden – the Liverpudlian whose dream was to “create two of the greatest female tennis players the planet has ever seen”.
Since my last meeting with the Brisbane-based family in 2018, that purpose has modified.
Ray’s eight-year-old daughter Paloma has chosen soccer as a substitute.
However Liv – who took up tennis aged three – continues to be pursuing a profession within the sport and in January competed in her first open skilled match.
In recent times, Liv has turned her again on junior tennis in disillusionment on the dishonest of gamers who name their very own traces.
She has tried her hand at swimming and Australian Guidelines Soccer as tennis took a again seat for some time to protect towards damage.
However she figured it could take a very long time to get good at both of these sports activities. So it was time to step it up on the courtroom.
“I might like to go on to the tour,” says Liv, who was halfway by way of Australian former world primary Ash Barty’s autobiography after we met.
“I do know my dream is to grow to be primary, and hopefully it comes true. However I might like to go on the tour.”
A primary style of the grownup skilled world
The Bayside Open in Redland Bay, with a complete prize fund of two,100 Australian {dollars} (£1,155), was the venue for Liv’s first open skilled match in January.
Three occasions into her fledgling profession, towards invariably older and much more skilled gamers, she continues to be looking for a primary pay cheque.
However that is her future now. Her junior profession is behind her, as Ray and the household determined when she was 12 that it was too traumatic.
“I feel there’s a variety of strain from a variety of the dad and mom. The juniors name the traces themselves and sadly you do get a variety of very detached calls and it makes it not satisfying for the youngsters who’re real and do play by the principles,” he explains.
“She’s hitting with women and men. Do not get me mistaken, she’s being cleaned off the courtroom some weekends by some actually high-level male gamers however she greater than holds her personal towards feminine gamers.”
Liv admits “there have been some difficult video games” as she recollects her junior days.
“I obtained affected a bit of bit mentally and would typically come off the courtroom crying,” she mentioned.
“The umpires would all the time resolve with the opposite participant, as a result of it is all the time their name. You have to be on to every little thing, and all the time be watching what the opposite participant is doing.”
Liv may need been competing and dwelling in Spain by now if it had not been for the pandemic. Ray and his Australian spouse Angela opted to remain in Brisbane, however Liv is anticipating to spend as much as eight weeks this 12 months on the Catalunya Tennis Academy in Barcelona.
Avoiding damage throughout a development spurt
Liv solely resumed her full tennis schedule in October – after an 18-month interval through which she did simply 4 to 6 hours per week to protect towards overuse damage in puberty, and sapping enjoyment ranges.
Ray was cautious of the hazards from his expertise in elite soccer, which incorporates spells at each Paris St-Germain and Leicester Metropolis.
“It appears to be like prefer it’s labored out nicely as she’s come by way of the opposite finish with no accidents,” the 43-year-old says.
“She’s 5 foot 9, 5 foot 10 perhaps, and nonetheless rising. There’s two women we all know of, who Livi’s mates with.
“One went by way of a full shoulder reconstruction. One went by way of a wrist operation – and that is purely only for the quantity of hours they’re doing on the tennis courtroom as their physique goes by way of the change.”
Liv added that “it was good to have a break”.
“We have been attempting to get out of the routine of getting up for coaching on daily basis,” she mentioned.
That routine modified additional in January, when Liv enrolled at Kelvin Grove State Faculty on a full tennis scholarship. On the expense of a few tutorial topics, she is now in a position to practice for about eight hours per week in the course of the college day.
Paloma prefers soccer
Ray has not coached Liv for a few years, however was nonetheless selecting up the balls within the coaching classes I watched on a usually sunny and humid Brisbane day.
And on the age of eight, Paloma is now sufficiently old to supply her older sister a chunk of seasoned recommendation from the aspect of the courtroom.
In Ray’s authentic plan for his daughters – which ran to greater than 100 pages – he was going to create two champion tennis gamers.
He maintains that over a ten to 15-year interval he may create a champion in any sport – however that it’s important to keep versatile.
“We gave her a possibility to strive tennis,” Ray explains.
“We mentioned to her you will have to decide on a sport that you’re perhaps going to offer a very good go at and she or he selected soccer over tennis, and we have been completely happy to help that.
“Now now we have one tennis participant, and one soccer participant. And they’ll each play for England which is nice, so hopefully one will win a World Cup and the opposite will win a gold medal on the Olympics.”
What may the long run maintain?
“You may as nicely purchase a lottery ticket” was the way in which 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova summed up Ray’s dream after we mentioned this final in 2018.
“Champions are born, after which they need to have the proper setting to be made. Placing all of the eggs into this one basket, it places a variety of strain on the youngsters,” she added.
Ray’s agency perception is that anybody could make it to the highest.
“I’ve labored with boys who have been 11 or 12 once I labored within the Premier League at Leicester Metropolis and lots of people would say these boys are by no means going to get a possibility as a result of if Leicester want a participant they’re going to simply go and purchase one.
“I’ve labored with gamers like Luke Thomas and Harvey Barnes – and if they will do it, then my daughter can do it and anybody’s youngsters can do it.”
Ray says he stays assured Liv will make it on to the WTA Tour, and hopes Grand Slam titles will comply with. However this was the primary time in our three conferences I’ve heard him admit the story might not finish in fairly that method.
“I am all the time a giant fan of aiming as excessive as attainable, and in the event you fall a bit quick that may nonetheless be a very good consequence,” he says.
“I’ve by no means ever informed Livi this, however I feel for me simply the chance to get a scholarship and journey abroad and examine at a university, that might be nonetheless an outstanding consequence. There was a bit of little bit of psychology behind it.”
One among Liv’s coaches in Brisbane is Glenn Moodie. Earlier than the household headed off for some lunch and an ice tub in between classes, he drew parallels with Richard Williams.
“The consensus over right here, with out anybody realizing the ins and outs of all of it, was that he was loopy,” he says.
“However I all the time thought that he was attempting to develop one thing for his children the place in the event that they did not make it that they had a very good work ethic, good morals and have been growing good habits to reach no matter they plan to do.
“I all the time thought that was good supplied they don’t seem to be getting dragged on to the courtroom. It is a daring plan however I feel you’ve got to have one – I feel it’s important to get there by design.
“From what I’ve seen, I really feel like if she stays motivated and desires to do it for herself, Liv may very well be enjoying the Australian Open sooner or later for certain.”
You may take heed to Russell Fuller’s interview with Ray Wooden on 5 Reside Sport from 21:00 GMT on Monday, 13 March.
