The Last Post speaks with
Saville
LUKE
Luke Saville is an eighteen year old tennis player who won the 2011 Wimbledon Boys Championship and 2012 Australian Open Juniors. Luke won the Junior Sports Star honours in November and was nominated for the Male Junior Athlete of the Year at the Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Awards, also in November. Also this year Luke has won Futures titles in Thailand and Cairns, Australia. He is a right-handed, double handed backhand who started playing tennis at the age of five. He is currently ranked 340, a career high. 1 4 THE
The Last Post: Thanks for joining us Luke. Luke Saville: Great to be here. TLP: Luke, you’re from Berri, up in the Riverland or near Berri. What was behind moving to Adelaide first of all? LS: I was brought up as one of three siblings with an older brother and sister. First up, Dad built a tennis court in the backyard and I starting hitting the ball on our backyard court when I was a very young age. I was playing Junior tournaments when I was eight or nine and was winning in my age groups. A year after that coaches up in Adelaide started to notice I had a bit of talent and ability and they had a bit of a chat with my parents and they said that if I wanted to take my tennis to the next level and have a real good crack I really needed to be in Adelaide. That’s when the real sacrifices started and I moved up to Adelaide. TLP: How old were you when you first beat your Dad? LS: At a pretty young age. If my Dad was as good as he talks himself up he’d be a pretty handy professional. Dad’s not too flash on the court but he’s been crucial and just great in supporting and instigating my tennis career so far. I cherish that support and my parents have been there for me too, financially. It’s an expensive sport to be in and of course, that support keeps me going and gives me strength.
LAST POST - CHRISTMAS / SUMMER 2012-3 EDITION
TLP: The family is always important and, geez, especially when you’re a promising young player. A lot of hoops still to jump through but they’ve obviously saw the light from when you were young. LS: Yes, that’s right and I was still pretty young when that sacrifice was made, what, about ten. You know, Mum would be driving me back from Adelaide, back to the Riverland when I was young. Dad and my brother and sister where still there and, yes, to do that sort of thing means they’ve got a great belief and a great love too, I guess. They showed initiative and bought an apartment in Adelaide and really got things rolling and that’s allowed me to get where I am today. TLP: You entered your first professional tournament when you were what, 14? LS: Yeah, I got a wildcard into that tournament in my home town of Berri. That was my first professional entry, yeah. Four years later I’m doing well enough to consider that I’m on track. TLP: A couple of years after that you won the Burr Medal, 2010? The best player in SA? LS: That’s right. TLP: And then the Don Turnbull Trophy the same year? LS: Yeah, exactly. Wow. That was a great achievement for me to be recognised like that when still an up and coming junior. I think that