Gabriella Da Silva-Fick knows all too well the challenges of chasing the elusive tennis dream.From persistent, debilitating and sometimes freak injuries, to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kooyong Foundation scholarship-holder has not tread an easy path.
Gabriella Da Silva-Fick knows all too well the challenges of chasing the elusive tennis dream.
From persistent, debilitating and sometimes freak injuries, to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kooyong Foundation scholarship-holder has not tread an easy path.
Da Silva Fick was sidelined as recently as this past summer with a bulging disc in her back, yet by March won her maiden ITF title on Swan Hill’s grass-courts, only a week after reaching the semi-finals in Mildura.
She beat top-10 junior Emerson Jones in three sets in the final after ousting former world No.112 Maddison Inglis in the quarter-finals.
“I wasn’t even expecting to make the grass tournaments because of my back,” Da Silva-Fick said.
“I went in with no expectations because grass isn’t my first-choice surface, but I embraced the challenges and was really happy with how it went. “I finally had almost a full year of playing last year, after three years pretty much not competing.”
The reward for the 23-year-old’s breakthrough moment – following some encouraging results at the end of last year – was a career-high ranking of No.435, but there was a feeling of calm that came with it. To Da Silva-Fick, this was just a step towards what she hopes to achieve in the years to come, so there was no reason to make a “big deal” of the milestone victory.
That mindset was crafted in a forthright chat early last year with her coach, Shannon Nettle – who used to work with Casey Dellacqua – to outline goals and develop a clear vision for the type of player she wanted to become. “After a few years of injuries, I sat down and looked deeply into my tennis … mentally, emotionally and financially, it can take a lot out of you,” Da Silva Fick said.
“‘Stinger’ [Nettle] and I talked about what type of game I needed to play to maximise my strengths, but we also wanted to play a game I would enjoy. “My coach believes to get me to a high level, which is competing in grand slams and winning matches there, I had to become really confident and clear on my abilities and have a mindset where no match is more valuable than [any other], which has taken a lot of pressure off me.”
However, none of the current success would have come without support during the tough times, including at the height of the COVID pandemic, plus a stress fracture on the metacarpal in her right hand. “That injury was a bit of a spanner in the works after COVID,” Da Silva Fick said. “Sam Stosur was the only person who was known to have a similar injury, and it took me almost a year to get back to competing 100 per cent. The symptoms and recovery were different from Sam’s experience, because for her she was almost back to normal in six weeks.”
The Kooyong Foundation has stuck with her throughout those times, not only financially but also in offering facility access and moral support from the likes of David Bidmeade. “The Kooyong Foundation has definitely played a really big part in my tennis, especially the last few years,” she said.
“I’ve played on Kooyong’s Premier League team since I was 17, and I’ve always loved that, and the Kooyong Foundation is a community.
“They’ve been really important for me because you don’t always have that support. The foundation’s been a big help and support system.” Australia’s leading tennis stars are competing at Roland-Garros this fortnight, which is where Da Silva-Fick hopes to be next year, but she is back grinding away in Korea. The goal is to slash her WTA ranking to somewhere inside the top 250 by year’s end to enable her to enter grand slam qualifying.
“We have a bigger picture in mind,” Da Silva-Fick said. “There is so much more we want to keep achieving, to be able to move forward and be on the WTA Tour. “I’m trying to take it one match at a time, and not get too caught up in rankings, but I’m definitely playing with a purpose, and I believe my level is there.”
By Marc McGowan
