Isabelle Lacy on her Junior Nationals victory, Wimbledon wild cards and ambitions for the future.
Having recently been crowned champion at the 18U Junior Nationals in April – 16-year-old Isabelle Lacy is set to realise a lifelong dream this summer with a wild card into qualifying for the main draw at the Wimbledon Championships.
Fresh off the back of a significant milestone in her junior career - we caught up with Lacy to chat about her Junior Nationals experience and her ambitions ahead of one of the most exciting summers of her young career so far.
“Junior Nationals was a really, really great week.” Lacy recalls. “I had low expectations going into it and I said to my coach ‘I just want to enjoy it.’ The LTA put on such a good week with the whole set up. I always get so excited for Nationals, and this year turned out to be a very special week for me.”
This year will mark Lacy’s third Junior Wimbledon appearance after making her debut at just 14-years-old. But despite her age, she’s quickly learnt to build on her experiences and is prepared to carry the lessons she’s learnt into what will be a busy summer period for the young Brit, including a maiden appearance at the Wimbledon Championships qualifiers.
“I can’t wait for Wimbledon this year. I think every time I play, I’ve gotten less nervous and a lot more excited” she reflected. “The first year, I was about to warm up in a covid mask because I was so nervous to be there but then the second year, I couldn’t sleep after I won the first round because I was so excited.
“I think you learn from all those little parts of the experience. It’s everyone’s dream to play at Wimbledon and I’ll never take it for granted. I’m super excited for this year’s tournament. My whole family and my friends were there supporting me last year, and it was literally the best day of my life so I can’t wait to be back. I’m also playing Wimbledon qualies this year which I’ve never played before so that’s going to be very exciting too.”
If anything, Lacy’s Junior Nationals win has only increased her appetite to continue striving towards the top of the game. However, at only 16-years-old, she’s also faced with the task of balancing her tennis with travelling for tournaments and completing her A-Levels; but that doesn’t diminish her competitive nature and drive to stay in the sport and reach her full potential.
“Some days I have a lesson at school in the morning, then I come to the National Tennis Centre (NTC) to play tennis, do my fitness, and then go back to school for more lessons – A Levels have been a lot harder, but Surbiton High have been really good with me. They’ve had loads of athletes in the past, so they know what they’re doing, and they stay in touch a lot when I’m away.
“I’ve always loved the competitive aspect and no matter what level you’re at, you’re always in a competitive environment. I just love the feeling you get when you win – it really drives you on to keep working hard and keep winning. That’s kind of what I hold onto - tennis is just the best sport.”
Lacy is just one in a cohort of tight-knit, up-and-coming junior players that are quickly establishing themselves within the junior field. With her training being based at the NTC, Lacy is not only surrounded by her junior peers but also elite-level players who have embarked on the same journey she is currently on.
“There’s a strong group of us coming through at the moment – we’re really close and are all super supportive of each other. I train at the NTC, so I practice with Hannah Klugman quite a lot, and now Eva Shaw has joined too I train quite a lot with her. It’s nice to mix in with the different girls and it’s a really fun environment to be in.
“The older girls and guys have also been incredibly supportive. I hit with Jodie (Burrage) quite a lot and speak to Harriet (Dart) and Katie Swan sometimes. They all chat to me a lot and are always the first to congratulate me.
It’s great to mix with those girls too because it’s a whole new experience and a taste of what it’s like at the top level of the women’s side of the game.
With a packed summer schedule ahead of her, there are plenty of opportunities for you to catch Lacy in action on court – but what can you expect from her game?
“I’m quite attacking and aggressive, I try to take time away from my opponent by hitting the ball hard and moving up the court. But also, I fight really hard – that’s always been one of my strongest aspects. I’m trying to come to the net more to become even more aggressive, especially using my first serve.
“Off the court, I love seeing friends, I’ve got an amazing group of girls at my school who came to watch me at Nationals and even though they know nothing about tennis they still cheered me on so loud - they’re the most supportive people and it’s nice to have a switch off from tennis.”
Having already exceeded her own expectations throughout the first half of the season, Lacy is directing her attention to what’s to come over the next few months and has one particular goal at the fore of her mind.
“I want to try and make a Junior Grand Slam and get to the US Open off my ranking. I’ve still got another year playing as a junior, so I have next year too but I’m trying to get into the main draw of the Junior Slams whilst trying to get my women’s ranking up – that’s the main thing now but other than that I just want to keep enjoying it.”