For the first time, at the age of 67, Chris Ornstien, a member of Chichester Racquets and Fitness Club, has been selected to represent GB (in the Men's 65+ division) in the Super-Seniors’ World Team Championships, which will be held in Antalya, Turkey, from 13 -18th October this year.
In the 2014 Grade 1 Seniors’ British Open Clay Court Championships, recently staged at the West Hants Club Bournemouth ,Chris lost to the No.2 seed (and eventual Tournament winner) in the quarter- final of the singles event and then went on to win the 65+ Men's Doubles, with Mike Hepker, from Bath. Chris has won many Sussex and International Veterans’ tournaments and is currently World ITF 65+ number 74, GB number 2 and Sussex number 1. He also is the Captain and Manager of Sussex Men’s 60+ and 65+ Inter-County teams and Captain of the Chichester Club’s Veterans’ Men’s 1st Team.
Ever since Chris returned to England in 2001 (from 43 years growing up and playing tennis in Australia) it has been his goal to be selected for the Seniors’ GB tennis team and to represent GB at the World Seniors’ Tennis Championships. In 2002 he reached the Final of the National Clay Court 55+ Singles, but, on this occasion, was not selected for the GB team.
Undeterred, he has persevered with his training and intense practice sessions over the past 13 years and in 2012 he won the Seniors’ National Grass Court Championships in the Men’s 65+ section.
During the past 13 years he has reached the quarter-final stages of the National Seniors’ events on several occasions and has won over 10 Singles and 15 Doubles Senior ITF Tournaments at levels just below the Nationals. These included successes at the prestigious South of England Championships which are played at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne each September; on the same courts on which the Aegon International event is played every June prior to Wimbledon.
Chichester Racquets & Fitness Club’s Manager, Jack Lerwill said, “This is a fantastic achievement by Chris. He has shown great determination to realise his goal and I know that everybody at the Club is thrilled for him. We wish him all the best in the Super-Seniors World Team Championships where he will be representing GB in October this year.”