When Kerryn Cyprien is quizzed about what she hopes to achieve before she packs away her racket for the final time, her answer reflects in no uncertain terms how seriously she takes her tennis.

“I would love another World title,” Australian Cyprien, who claimed mixed doubles gold at the ITF Seniors World Individual Championships in 2018, told itftennis.com.

“But I suppose the ultimate goal is to reach the No. 1 ranking. I have reached it in doubles and mixed doubles but would dearly love to in singles. Whether that is achievable or not, I don’t know.

“I am goal-orientated and need a goal to maintain my focus. I love playing and competing but, at the end of the day, those goals over the next few years are there.”

It could almost be the mindset of a Grand Slam-chasing professional at the peak of her powers, but Cyprien’s profile is somewhat different: she is a 52-year-old primary school teacher from Queensland.

It is a job she is extremely passionate about. When she talks about the four and five year olds leaving her tutelage at the end of the academic year with vastly improved reading and writing skills, her love for education is striking.

But even so, tennis is a hugely prominent factor in her life and she thrives on the challenge of testing herself, while her pride at succeeding is obvious. Further to that, virtually every aspect of any given week is geared towards competing and instigating a title challenge at her next tournament.

“I drive everyone nuts because I get obsessive,” said Cyprien. “At least two mornings a week I get up at 4am so I’m at the gym by 5am to train and work on the physical side.

“I watch my diet and I’m careful with what I eat. I’ll have a couple of glasses of wine along the way but when I’m competing I can be narrow-minded about eating healthily and getting the right amount of sleep.

“I see a kinesiologist to help with the mental side of the game and my physical fitness and a chiropractor if I need to, while my eldest son is a physio.

“A lot of what I do at home does revolve around tennis. When I come in from work and I’m a bit tired, I know that I must still put in time on court.

“Sometimes I have to be mindful that I don’t earn my living through tennis – it’s supposed to be the fun part.”

Cyprien was introduced to tennis at the age of 10 by her father, Geoff Whittaker, who in his younger days trained alongside 24-time Grand Slam winner Margaret Court.

Her love for the sport blossomed and by 17 she was packing her bags and heading to America after earning a scholarship to the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond to play college tennis.

It is an experience she loved despite describing it as an “eye-opener”, but after three years stateside she grew homesick and returned to her native Australia, met husband Patrick, had two children and settled into family life.

Tennis, understandably, took a backseat and appeared to be consigned to the pages of history until her good friend and current doubles partner Linda Roberts suggested they play a Seniors tournament on the Gold Coast.

By this stage Cyprien was in her forties but this one event “got the fire going”. She is now a firm fixture on the ITF Seniors circuit, currently ranked No. 7 in the world in the 50+ age bracket and has 18 singles and 17 doubles titles to her name.

“I was definitely sceptical and nervous about returning to tennis as you inevitably doubt whether you’ll be able to play as well as you used to,” added Cyprien, whose husband sometimes joins her on tour as her mixed doubles partner.

“It was probably my own expectations that held me back to begin with because I knew how I could play and I wanted to play as well as I had in the past.

“But, now, I feel it’s almost better second time around. I am a lot wiser on court than when I was a youngster. I am a better player mentally and think through my points more.

“I love competing and don’t do social tennis too well. My doubles partner doesn’t really like playing singles as she finds it lonely, whereas I love being on the singles court.”

Cyprien had been hoping to retrace her college steps and once again be treading on American soil, although the ongoing situation with regard to COVID-19 has forced the postponement of the ITF Seniors World Team and Individual Championships in Florida.

She reached the quarter-finals of the singles and last four of the doubles at the 2019 Individual Championships in Portugal and, once the opportunity to contest the event presents itself once more, she will be plotting a course to that much-coveted world No. 1 spot.

“My dream as a youngster was to be a professional tennis player and when I go to the Worlds, that is as close as I get to it now,” said Cyprien, who also cites camaraderie, fitness benefits, the sheer enjoyment of playing and travel opportunities as additional reasons for loving Seniors tennis.

“There is such a focus upon tennis and I really enjoy that. There is a bit of selfishness too as I rock up, have breakfast, go to practice and play my match – it is all about tennis. As a mum, I also enjoy not having to do the cooking and cleaning.”

However, considering how long she envisages playing, if Cyprien fails to top the podium at the Worlds in upcoming editions of the tournament, future chances to do so will almost certainly arise.

“I cannot imagine a life without tennis,” she added. “As long as my body holds out I’m hoping that I’m still playing at the same age as Peter Froelich, one of Australia’s legends of tennis. He is 83.”

This is interview is one of a number to feature in the latest edition of ITFWorld. A copy of the spring issue of ITFWorld can be viewed here.