Tennis in Surrey Magazine 2016

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Player Profile: Gemma Heath
In this edition of Tennis in Surrey we speak to
aspiring Surrey junior player Gemma Heath.
Tennis career so far:
Gemma started playing tennis
at the age of five. She has played
for County Cup teams from U10
up to most recently U18, with
the Surrey team being successful
many times. Gemma was the Nike
Junior U14 and U16 Champion,
has represented Great Britain in
the summer and winter cups and
has played in the Nike invitational
Masters in Miami.
At the age of 13 she was one
of the youngest girls to win an
ITF singles at Grade 5, her first
tournament at that level.
Gemma trained at Sutton
Tennis Academy since the age of
five, only recently moving on to
work full time with her individual
coach Neil Carter. She now trains
at the National Tennis Centre as
well as Sutton Tennis Academy.
Neil has known Gemma and her
family for years and is familiar
with her game down to the finest
detail. Before working with Neil,
Gemma credits her first coach
Ross Sheppard at Sutton Tennis
Academy with helping to kick start
her tennis at a young age.
What a typical week looks like:
Gemma trains six days a week
-that’s an average of 14 hours of
tennis plus fitness and strength
and conditioning. She also has to
ensure her nutritional needs and
of course school work are well
looked after. Gemma is learning
online with Wolsey Hall for her
IGCSE’s in English, Maths and
Science.
Key achievements this year:
Gemma was delighted to become
U16 National Champion and win
the Doubles title at the same time.
She said: “It was fantastic to become
national champion two years
running, U14 last year and U16
this year. It is also an honour to be
presented with the Surrey County
Association Progress Cup in 2016. I
feel very lucky to be able to follow
my dream of being a professional
tennis player. I am so grateful
for all the support I receive from
my coaches (fitness and tennis),
sponsors, and of course my parents.”
The year has been an exciting
one for Gemma as she explains:
“This year I was a finalist in two
Grade 4 ITF’s and also won three
Doubles titles in the same event. I
won the Nike U16 Junior Nationals
titles in Singles and Doubles and
competed in my first professional
tournament in Surbiton, where I
was really pleased with the way I
played.
“I then competed at
Roehampton and Nottingham
pro events and won some tough
matches. Doing as well as I did in
the ITF women’s events has given
me a lot more confidence to go
forward. I am more determined
to work on my game style and
dedicate myself to my training
programme.”
Who do you admire in the
sports world?
My sporting role model is Serena
Williams. For me she is the
greatest of all time. Her power and
aggressive game is inspirational.
I admire many athletes; the work
and commitment it takes to reach
the best you possibly can be is
incredibly tough.”
What are your hobbies?
“I don’t have an awful lot of spare
time after a full day’s training and
school work but I do love music,
going to the cinema and a cheeky
Nando’s with my friends. I have
tried golf in the past so maybe one
day I’ll give that more of a go.”
Goals:
“My aim for the future is to
improve my professional and
junior ITF world ranking, so I will
be able to compete at higher level
events. I hope to play in Junior
Grand Slam events including
Wimbledon.”
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