2018 Player Grant recipients reflect on support
At the turn of 2018, 29 players from 20 countries were selected to receive international player Grand Slam Grants financed by the Grand Slam Development Fund.
The Programme, now in its second year, provides total funding of $650,000 to selected players from around the world as a contribution towards their competition-related costs, with the aim of helping them to develop as professional tennis players and compete in Grand Slam tournaments.
The funding has already begun to change the fortunes of many of the grant recipients this year, as we found out when we caught up with three of them - Renata Zarazua, Valentini Grammatikopoulou and Daniela Seguel - at the 2018 Wimbledon qualifying event.
"It's been amazing because I am able to travel with my coach, and now with my mum," said 20-year-old Zarazua, of Mexico. "It makes a difference, makes me happy and relaxed.
"My goal is to be in the Top 100 and I'm not too far. I'm at 190 right now. I know it's a lot of points, it's a big difference. It sounds easy but I think I can do it especially now that I'm around all of the good players. I can see how they train, how they act. I'm not far from that. It's my short goal now, it was very long before but now it's short."
Seguel of Chile, echoed Zarazua's sentiments, admitting that receiving a GSDF grant has allowed her to train - and feel - much more like a professional.
"I was very surprised when the scholarship arrived and I am very grateful because it has made things easier for me during this year," she said.
"I've been able to do everything much more professionally. I am training in Spain and I don't worry as much about money because I can travel more calmly, accompanied by a coach, whereas I used to do everything alone and it was very difficult. The truth is that I was very grateful [for the grant] and the results show that all this help has made it much easier for me."
Twenty-one-year-old Grammatikopoulou, of Greece, admits that the player grant might even have kept her in the sport.
"I was in shock when they selected me," she said. "It helped me believe and I can still do it (follow a career in the professional game) without quitting the tennis.
"I want to reach the Top 100 this year. It's a big term and easy to say but you need to work hard and believe every second you're on the tour."
The GSDF committee more than doubled the amount of players receiving grants this year, with 12 men and 11 women receiving $25,000 grants, including: Magdelena Frech (POL), Dalma Galfi (HUN), Xinyu Gao (CHN), Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE), Lloyd Harris (RSA), Youssef Hossam (EGY), Hubert Hurkacz (POL), Soon Woo Kwon (KOR) Duckhee Lee (KOR), Edan Leshem (ISR), Fangzhou Liu (CHN), Kamil Majchrzak (POL), Sebastian Ofner (AUT), Rebecca Peterson (SWE), Zsombor Piros (HUN), Casper Ruud (NOR), Sabina Sharipova (UZB), Ipek Soylu (TUR), Fanni Stollar (HUN), Viktoriya Tomova (BUL), Elias Ymer (SWE), Mikael Ymer (SWE) and Tamara Zidansek (SLO).
A further two men and four women received grants worth $12,500 in 2018, including: Hugo Dellien (BOL), Darian King (BAR), Daniela Seguel (CHI), Chanel Simmonds (RSA), Abigail Tere-Apisah (PNG) and Renata Zarazua (MEX).