Running away with it!
Tomaz Plibersek
Tomaz (pictured left) made the switch from athletics to tennis earlier in the year and since the move he's never looked back. After two appearances in the West Ham & Newham league he has impressively notched up eleven straight wins and two group titles to quickly become a force to be reckoned with.
I used to be a competitive track athlete and after 15 years of training and competing in athletics, I wanted to try something completely new. I had been watching tennis a lot for the last 6 years, so it was an easy choice.
I heard about the league from someone playing on the courts in Stratford. I then found the webpage and said let's give it a try! I wanted to meet new tennis players as I find it interesting to play against people I don't know.
Singles is all on you, either you win or you lose. It's also more physically demanding than doubles, though I do actually find doubles more fun. What’s also great about tennis is that most of the players are very friendly. I have made many friends in the league who I try to play with regularly.
I enjoy the competitive adrenaline you get from playing in the leagues which I also used to experience before athletics. I was surprised I managed to win my group without losing a match, the results however don't show how good some of my opponents are.
I would encourage anybody who can hit the ball back over the net several times in a row to join and play. It's the best way to learn about your game, to practise and to challenge yourself. Sometimes you discover you are better than you think you are and you can learn something from everyone!
The latest round in West Ham Park & Newham has just got underway, and you can track all the results and find dates for future rounds here.