Katie O'Brien
Interviewer: Katie, tell us your full name
Katie: Katie, my name is Katie O’Brien
Interviewer: Where do you come from Katie?
Katie: I am from Hazel which is in Yorkshire
Interviewer: And how old are you?
Katie: I’m 22 Interviewer: And when did you start playing tennis?
Katie: I started playing tennis when I was 7, I started playing short tennis when I was 5 and then it gradually progressed into tennis from there.
Interviewer: And where did you play?
Katie: I played at my local club in Hull and I was coached by Richard Blues from the age of 7 up until 14.
Interviewer: What did you like about playing tennis?
Katie: My older brother and sister both play so it gave me the opportunity to try and beat them and just the competition really and it gives you so much experience really and it gives you the opportunity to travel the world.
Interviewer: Do your parents play?
Katie: No not at all, I mean my Dad is interested in sport, he used to play football but my mum isn’t really sporty at all but they both just love watching Wimbledon and they are both into sport.
Interviewer: So you enjoy competition, what is your biggest competitive achievement to date?
Katie: It’s tough to say, there’s all sorts of achievements involving tennis and you know, I won the junior nationals that was a great achievement and also representing my country at the Feb Cup, played at Wimbledon, won a round at Wimbledon um, I have had a few good wins against top 50 top 100 players so there has been a lot of good things.
Interviewer: What’s your current world ranking?
Katie: I am ranked 135 at the moment
Interviewer: And what are your, what is your ultimate goal?
Katie: Well, I would like to be top 100, I actually believe I could progress further and this year has started well for me so far so I think I am on track.
Interviewer: So taking you back onto court, what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?
Katie: Umm, I think my strengths are I am pretty feisty on court which can, you know, be counterproductive but also when you channel it right it can be a good thing. I am quite fit, I would quite happily run all day on court. I think forehand is my best shot and my weaknesses, lets not go into them!
Josh Milton
Josh: Hi my name is Josh Milton
Interviewer: How old are you Josh? Josh: Um, I am 19
Interviewer: When did you start playing tennis?
Josh: Um, I started playing tennis when I was 5
Interviewer: And where did you play?
Josh: I started to play at just a local club in Cardiff, really.
Interviewer: Did your parents play? Josh: Yes, uh, not really, my dad played a bit at school but not competitively really.
Interviewer: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Josh: Yes I have a sister she’s never been too much into sport.
Interviewer: And did you play tennis at school?
Josh: Uh I did a little bit in comprehensive school but not much
Interviewer: And what are your biggest achievements to date?
Josh: Um, probably I am number one in Wales, that is a pretty good achievement obviously where I am from and stuff. I am 710 in the world in the ATP which is probably my best achievement I guess.
Interviewer: And what would be your ultimate goal?
Josh: Just to crack the top 100 I guess probably and see what happens from there on it really.
Interviewer: What do you like best about being a full time tennis player?
Josh: Um, well I am quite lucky in that I am doing something everyday that I enjoy, which is not what many people do that so I suppose it is a good thing.
Interviewer: And what do you dislike the most about being a full time tennis player?
Josh: It does get a bit repetitive sometimes, because obviously I am doing the same things day in day out but you get used to it so its no problem
Interviewer: And do you have a favourite moment when you’ve been on a trip or something that has been really exciting, something that has been very memorable for you?
Josh: Probably Junior Wimbledon actually, because I played my first round there and I played a guy who I think he was 10 in the world for my age and I won something like 12-10 in the 3rd set tiebreak so yeah.
Adi Adepitan
Interviewer: Adi how long have you been playing tennis?
Adi: Probably for about a year
Interviewer: What other sports have you played?
Adi: I played basketball, I played wheelchair basketball for (cough!) 20 years, yeah no for a long time. I played at international level, club level um, travelled all over the world and been to a few Paralympic Games.
Interviewer: And do you have any medals from the Paralympics?
Adi: Yes I have a bronze medal from the Athens Paralympics. Yeah cherish that medal (laughs)
Interviewer: What has been the most frustrating thing for you going from international and Paralympic level sport to playing a new sport? What has been the most frustrating element for you?
Adi: Everything! (both laugh) Everything! Yeah it was a huge change in the way I thought about a sport. You know, going from being one of the best athletes in the world, you know, um going on the court and you know, immediately everything I want to do works. You know, if I want to shoot a 3 pointer, I can do that, you know, because I have spent years and years practising at it. You know, if I want to go out and take my game to another level I can do that. But with tennis I have started from the bottom, you know, and its really difficult, you know, when you have been up there to then go all the way back down to the bottom and you have to be really humble and have a lot of respect for so many other players because they have been in the game longer than you and I suppose the way I look at it I’ve got to pay my dues, everybody has got to pay their dues and work at it, you know, which means they have got to work hard in order to get something out of it.
Adi: Being in a wheelchair is completely different from what everybody thinks, you can be just as great an athlete as any of top athletes that anybody knows. Being in a wheelchair is nothing to do about it, its more about whats in here (touches his heart) and what’s in here (touches his head)
Interviewer: So you have never seen being in a wheelchair as a barrier to sport?
Adi: No No, maybe in other people’s minds, but for me I have had the opportunity to do so many amazing things. Now I pinch myself everyday when I think back about the things I have done, I have travelled the world, I have played in Paralympic Games, I have competed against some of the best athletes in the world, and I have been up there played in the world championship final and won medals, you know, its just amazing and I think if I, if somebody had said this to me when I was 7 years old, I would never have believed them.
Interviewer: What message do you have for those 7 year olds that are watching this now?
Adi: My message is, you know, whatever you want to do, you know, you want to be a brain surgeon, a singer, you want to be the best tennis player in the world, best basketball player in the world, you know, go for it, you know, believe in your dreams, remember you have to work hard, things are not always as you expect them to be, you know, but just keep chugging away and if you really really want it, absolutely anything is possible.