River Hills Club recently held the USTA Pro Circuit Women’s Challenger - Mississippi’s only professional tennis tournament! Dave Randall, Tennis Director and Head Tennis Pro at River Hills, says, “This is the 18th year we have hosted the Challenger. We are proud to partner with the Catholic Charities Diocese of Jackson as our beneficiary. Girls travel from all over the world to compete in the Challenger; we had at least twelve to fifteen countries represented this year.”
Several outstanding players in this year’s Challenger have strong Mississippi ties! We had the great privilege of interviewing a couple of these athletes and learning more about their training, what drives them and what it’s like competing at home. We are thrilled to share their stories with you today:
Julia Jones
Did you grow up in Mississippi?
“I spent most of my childhood and high school years in Florida, but lived in Jackson from ages 5-8. I started playing tennis at River Hills Club. My family now lives in McComb, MS.”
Did you play tennis in college?
“I played four years for Ole Miss and graduated in May 2015.”
Do you prefer playing singles or doubles?
“I prefer singles and focus mainly on it, but love doubles as well and try to play whenever I can.”
Tennis is such an individual sport. What are the pros of playing an individual sport vs. playing a team sport?
“Tennis is so different from other team sports because it’s only you out there. You don’t have teammates to fall back on when things aren’t going well for you. The game is so mental because unlike other sports, coaching isn’t allowed during competition; so you have to find ways to win on your own.”
What makes the River Hills Challenger such a special event?
“I love playing the River Hills Challenger because it’s close to home so my entire family gets to come up and watch. I also train at River Hills with TJ Middleton so I know the courts and conditions well.”
How often do you travel for tennis matches?
“I travel probably 30-40 weeks out of the year. I have been all around the U.S. as well as Australia, Mexico, Egypt and Canada. Traveling around the world is great because I get some time to do some touring. I also stay with host families often so it is fun to see what life is like in their country.”
How often do you practice?
“A typical practice day for me is about 3-4 hours total of tennis and then an hour of fitness and then some rehab/massage or a yoga class.”
How does tennis inspire you?
“Tennis inspires me because it teaches you how to overcome adversity. Like I mentioned earlier, you have no one to fall back on when things aren’t going your way during a match. You have to figure it out on your own and control the ups and downs of a match. The ability to adapt and handle adversity is a skill that can be used off the tennis court as well and I hope to be able to transfer that to my every day life.”
Sylvia Viljoen
Where are you from in Mississippi?
“I am 17-years old, live in Jackson, MS and train here as well.”
When did you start playing tennis?
“At age 4 at the Country Club of Jackson. My mom was a Teaching Pro on staff at that time.”
Tennis is such an individual sport. What are the pros of playing an individual sport vs. playing a team sport?
“You have to take responsibility for how you practice, play and the results of a match. Doubles is like a team sport. Each player has to do their part to make things work on the court.”
What makes playing in the USTA Women's Challenger at River Hills so special?
“It is an honor to play in the same tournament as up and coming stars of College and Professional tennis. You also see a lot of players who have competed at the tennis Slams.” How does the game of tennis inspire you? “My results in a tournament - win or lose - inspire me to improve aspects of my tennis game.”
Thank you, Julia and Sylvia! We wish both of you talented ladies the best of luck in your tennis careers!
For more information on River Hills Club, please visit their website here! All photos courtesy of the River Hills Club USTA Facebook page, found here.
Several outstanding players in this year’s Challenger have strong Mississippi ties! We had the great privilege of interviewing a couple of these athletes and learning more about their training, what drives them and what it’s like competing at home. We are thrilled to share their stories with you today:
Julia Jones
Did you grow up in Mississippi?
“I spent most of my childhood and high school years in Florida, but lived in Jackson from ages 5-8. I started playing tennis at River Hills Club. My family now lives in McComb, MS.”
Did you play tennis in college?
“I played four years for Ole Miss and graduated in May 2015.”
Do you prefer playing singles or doubles?
“I prefer singles and focus mainly on it, but love doubles as well and try to play whenever I can.”
Tennis is such an individual sport. What are the pros of playing an individual sport vs. playing a team sport?
“Tennis is so different from other team sports because it’s only you out there. You don’t have teammates to fall back on when things aren’t going well for you. The game is so mental because unlike other sports, coaching isn’t allowed during competition; so you have to find ways to win on your own.”
What makes the River Hills Challenger such a special event?
“I love playing the River Hills Challenger because it’s close to home so my entire family gets to come up and watch. I also train at River Hills with TJ Middleton so I know the courts and conditions well.”
How often do you travel for tennis matches?
“I travel probably 30-40 weeks out of the year. I have been all around the U.S. as well as Australia, Mexico, Egypt and Canada. Traveling around the world is great because I get some time to do some touring. I also stay with host families often so it is fun to see what life is like in their country.”
How often do you practice?
“A typical practice day for me is about 3-4 hours total of tennis and then an hour of fitness and then some rehab/massage or a yoga class.”
How does tennis inspire you?
“Tennis inspires me because it teaches you how to overcome adversity. Like I mentioned earlier, you have no one to fall back on when things aren’t going your way during a match. You have to figure it out on your own and control the ups and downs of a match. The ability to adapt and handle adversity is a skill that can be used off the tennis court as well and I hope to be able to transfer that to my every day life.”
Sylvia Viljoen
Where are you from in Mississippi?
“I am 17-years old, live in Jackson, MS and train here as well.”
When did you start playing tennis?
“At age 4 at the Country Club of Jackson. My mom was a Teaching Pro on staff at that time.”
Tennis is such an individual sport. What are the pros of playing an individual sport vs. playing a team sport?
“You have to take responsibility for how you practice, play and the results of a match. Doubles is like a team sport. Each player has to do their part to make things work on the court.”
What makes playing in the USTA Women's Challenger at River Hills so special?
“It is an honor to play in the same tournament as up and coming stars of College and Professional tennis. You also see a lot of players who have competed at the tennis Slams.” How does the game of tennis inspire you? “My results in a tournament - win or lose - inspire me to improve aspects of my tennis game.”
Thank you, Julia and Sylvia! We wish both of you talented ladies the best of luck in your tennis careers!
For more information on River Hills Club, please visit their website here! All photos courtesy of the River Hills Club USTA Facebook page, found here.
{Blog by Mitchell Walters}
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