Borough Life Summer 2006: Jane eyes centre court glory
Back On Home Ground... globetrotting tennis star Jane O’Donoghue practices at Wigan’s Robin Park.
Jane O’Donoghue’s tennis career has taken her all over the world. Australia, America, Europe, the Far East - you name it, she’s played it.
But when she’s not travelling the globe you can still see her out on the courts at Robin Park going through her paces and punishing the tennis balls with that vicious right hand swing.
”It’s where I started,” says the 23-year-old from Ashton. “And it’s always where I love to come back to. On a good day when the sun is shining, you really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
The British number three is getting ready to jet off to Japan to play in a series of big money tournaments and she feels quietly confident about what lies ahead.
And while the former Edmund Arrowsmith pupil may have recently dipped in the world rankings from a high of 184 to 250, she’s playing at her best.
”My game is really coming together at the moment,” she says. “I have had a few ups and downs over the past few seasons but it’s all shaping up.”
Jane began playing at nine and made quick progress under her then coach Les Atkinson.
With ten GCSEs Jane could have easily followed her big brothers Paul and Mark to Oxford University, but the lure of the court was just too strong.
”I began to play more and use the facilities at Robin Park and quickly began to improve,” she says. “Tennis is one of those sports where you have to rely solely on yourself. You don’t have any team mates to cover for you when you have an off day. It’s what I like about the sport, but it’s also what’s hard about it as well.”
Jane first came to national prominence in 2002 when she drew the all-conquering Venus Williams on the centre court in the first round of Wimbledon.
And while at 6-1, 6-1 the match didn’t exactly go Jane’s way, she did break the giant American’s serve prompting a round of applause from the Wimbledon faithful.
Her greatest moment to date was to come from behind to finish off the rising star of German tennis, Anna-Lena Groenfeld, during last year’s competition.
Wimbledon is once again in Jane’s sights and she will be doing everything to get to the centre court this year.
”Because my world ranking is below 100 I have to play a number of qualifying matches to get to Wimbledon,” she says. “But I will be giving it my all and hopefully I will be there again this year.
”I’ve already fulfilled my dream of playing on the centre court at Wimbledon and I’ve played some of the biggest names in the game, but I know everyone in Wigan is behind me when I play at Wimbledon and it really is a great feeling.”
- Any young person wanting to take up tennis can contact Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust’s Tennis Development Officer Keith Eckersall on 01942 828554.
- For more information about the facilities at Robin Park visit Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust’s website at www.wlct.org/robinpark or call 01942 828550.