TENNIS
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Jarryd Chaplin was born into Wollongong tennis royalty.
And while his sporting path wasn’t exactly laid out for him, it would have been hard to ignore the call of the court.
Chaplin’s mother, Amanda, is one of Wollongong’s finest sporting products.
Playing under her maiden name of Amanda Tobin, she spent 13 years on the WTA circuit during which she reached a career-high singles ranking of 58, and boasts a fourth-round clash with Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon.
Following her professional career, she managed Wollongong’s Beaton Park tennis centre for two years and is now head coach at St Catherine’s, Waverley in Sydney.
‘‘She had a great caeer on the tennis courts and when I come to Wollongong a lot of people remind me of that,’’ Jarryd said.
With his mother starting her illustrious career in the city, it was only fitting that Chaplin would use Wollongong as a launching pad for his own pursuits.
He has returned to his roots to tackle two Australian Futures tournaments at Beaton Park this week and next.
‘‘My mum’s whole side of the family still lives here,’’ Chaplin said.
‘‘I’ve got two aunties, an uncle, my grandparents all live here, and six cousins as well.
‘‘It’s great to be able to come back to Wollongong, especially with all the travel that I do, and still be able to see everyone and play some tennis at the same time.’’
The 22-year-old was born in Wollongong but moved north with the family to Sydney at a young age.
He spent a lot of his developing years watching his mother coach up-and-coming tennis players, and it wasn’t long before he picked up a racquet and strapped on the joggers.
‘‘She had a great caeer on the tennis courts and when I come to Wollongong a lot of people remind me of that,."
- Jarryd Chaplin
At 12 years old he was already representing Australia in touring development squads, and went on to be picked in the country’s Junior Davis Cup team.
After a first-round appearance at the Junior Australian Open, Chaplin moved to the US to attend college in Tennessee.
Having recently graduated from his course, Chaplin has earned his first singles and doubles rankings for the ATP tour.
He hopes to climb the ladder in both over the next 11 days.
But while the majority of fellow ATP players at Beaton Park strive for the lucrative singles title, Chaplin has his eyes on the doubles crown.
He has teamed up with American talent Nicolas Meister to tackle the tournament.
‘‘I think my game is much more suited for doubles,’’ Chaplin said.
‘‘The strength of singles now is so strong that I think I’d be putting my money in a better place by pursuing doubles.
‘‘I’m happy to have qualified for the main draw in singles, it means I get some more court time and a bit of extra money.
‘‘Hopefully I can win a game or two in the singles, then make a run in the doubles with (Meister).’’
At the conclusion of next week’s Futures tournament Chaplin will farewell his family once again and head back to America in pursuit of an ATP title.
