En Voyage Issue#16 Flickbook

Sport
That was fantastic. It was me
and Dom McCluskey. He was 15
and I was 17. I ended up sitting
my A Level English in Gibraltar
in an empty classroom with one
examiner between matches.'
Since then, Patrick has
represented his home at the
Island Games, known as the
friendly games, in Rhodes,
Aland and Bermuda. The
latter, back in 2011, is the one
he considers his favourite.
'Dom and I played the team
event stuff and we’d managed
to get gold in Rhodes and Aland.
They were both brilliant moments
in tennis life but Bermuda was
the best. In Bermuda it was the
toughest in terms of competition,
and the conditions were incredibly
hot and humid. The final was
over 40 degrees on court. We
were almost fainting. Winning
gold in the team there was one
of my best wins, though it was
against Jersey’s Scott Clayton
who’s a good friend of mine.'
Those Island Games
appearances, and a chance
to represent Guernsey at the
Commonwealth Games in 2011,
are a far cry from that child
watching those videos. But there
were early clues that
the sport would
come to
dominate
his life.
'I remember, being three or
four years old, and I would play
tennis against the kitchen door.
If now I know how annoying it
must have been for my parents.
I’d go out and play swingball
and pretend to be a top player. I
just remember getting hooked
on tennis. The more I played,
the more enthusiasm I had for it.
I’d spend every waking minute
working on it in some way, but
from the age of 10 it got trickier.'
While Patrick had some chance
of going to England to play in
tournaments, a decision many
face ahead of starting secondary
school is whether to leave the
island and attend a full-time
tennis facility, often in Europe
or North America, and leave
behind the life they know.
'You need to take that decision
when you’re quite young to drop
everything to do that fully, or do
you stay for your schooling and
to be with your friends? It’s a big
decision. The conversation did
happen a couple of times when
my parents asked if I wanted
to leave to do the tennis full
time, but, apparently, I always
said I wanted to be with my
friends and stay here.'
Patrick went to
Beechwood
and then
Elizabeth
College,
but
still
had
the
chance to play occasionally in
England and France, with support
from his parents. And, while he
was getting less tournament
experience than his peers
in England, his passion only
grew, meaning tennis would
continue to dominate his life,
both playing and coaching.
'I’ve been so lucky to go on
so many incredible trips. I’ve
managed a couple of the youth
players with Commonwealth
Games trips to Samoa and the
Bahamas. I’ve been able to train
with Rafa Nadal and play exhibition
matches with Pat Cash. There’s
been the chance to play in the
Island Games and Commonwealth
Games. I’m really fortunate.'
And it’s that sense of genuine
gratitude that shines through
as one of Guernsey’s tennis
greats talks about the sport he
loves. And, while this season
has been hampered by injury,
his determination is clear.
'This year’s been tough as I’ve
been injured for a lot of the year.
Earlier this season I played in some
French club matches as well as
tournaments there. I’ve also played
in Sardinia and in Egypt which was
a great experience. I’m playing a bit
less now, but I want to sort these
injuries out and get back playing
some team matches in France.'
And with the return of the
Island Games to Guernsey
in just two years, he’s every
reason to be back on top form
before long, emulating those
performances in those old
Wimbledon videos that inspired
a life-long love of tennis.
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En Voyage | Aurigny’s Magazine