CLAREMONT, California - When Gabrielle Andrew first picked up a tennis racket at age five, she didn’t like the sport. But after falling in love with it, she is now ranked number one in the United States Tennis Association’s 18-and-under division.
“I just kept practicing and got better and better and started playing in tournaments,” she recalled.
For her Filipina mother, Evelyn, who works for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and her father Mike, a Los Angeles policeman, the family never thought she would be this good. Tennis started out as a family fitness activity, when she was five.
“It was 'Hey, lets go out have fun, we’ll socialize, it’d be a good activity, family fun, all in the spirit of togetherness and family,' but I had no idea she’d turn out to be as good as she is,” said her father Michael.
In less than 9 years, Andrew has earned a record of 80 wins and only 12 losses. She finished 2010 by winning the Juniors National Tournament in Arizona and will travel to Spain in February to train for a month.
“To have that high ranking and seeing all of my records--from being 110 to 13 is a really, really good record. And I was proud of myself, and I wouldn’t stop there. I really want to keep going,” Gabrielle said.
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