Tanysha smashing her way up UK tennis ladder
View(s):For eleven-year-old Tanysha Dissanayaka, the game of tennis is much more than merely a game which she indulges in to satisfy a need
Tanysha Dissanayaka in action
to participate in an extra-curricular activity. To her, it has become an inextricable part of her life, a sport which she extracts great joy from and has rapidly excelled in over the past few years of her still very early development.
Currently based in the UK, Tanysha has risen to being the country’s top ranked player in the 12 and under age group, dismantling a host of other tough opponents spread not just throughout Great Britain but the whole of Europe.
A brief glance through her run of form in 2012 alone reveals both this dominance as well as a prodigious talent, which saw her win an extraordinary 37 out of the 39 matches she played in, most of which were against top British prospects who were much older than her.
Her imperious march through last season’s junior circuit saw her capture the Sutton Easter Open Under 14, the Finchley Manor Junior Open Under 12, the Chandos Junior Under 12 and the Aegon Summer Regional finals Under 12 titles.
Furthermore, she imposed her will on other age categories in each of these competitions as well as in those of the Junior Wimbledon Open (Under 12 runner up and Under 14 quarterfinalist) and the New Malden Junior Open (Under 12 and Under 14 runner up).
Two thousand and twelve also saw her make further inroads across the international tennis landscape, where she impressively represented Great Britain against Belgium in the Under 12 age category, striking her way to victory in all four of her matches.
Her success at these tournaments does not just offer testimony to her talent but will doubtlessly spur her game’s growth to still greater heights during the coming season of tennis.
Indeed, Tanysha, whose tennis idols are Rogerer Federer and Maria Sharapova, expresses that she is constantly improving each time she steps onto court, and is looking to further strengthen her movement to add to an increased mental toughness she acquired this year.
Tanysha has been able to ascend up the junior circuit hierarchy at such a phenomenal pace primarily due to an uncompromising discipline in training, borne of her deep passion for the game, which sees her put in nearly an entire week of five-hour sessions with her coach, Nick Jacques, prior to tournaments.
However, the road ahead for Tanysha is still littered with hurdles, as the cost of progressing in tennis, particularly in England, is an extremely tough task, her mother Sunali says.
“Her training cost at present comes to a colossal amount. Although she has been invited to the Win Tennis Academy headed by Mike Walker, a former British Davis Cup player, where she has been given a 50% scholarship and will continue her tennis and education, the cost is still too much for us as we need to spend on her overseas trips too,” she explains.
“We would appreciate any amount and type of sponsorship offered to her, so she could fulfill her goals and maybe we could have a future British champion.”
-David Stephens ; Pic by Amila Gamage
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