Meet Phoebe David, a Melbourne-based athlete currently representing Australia at the IBSA World Games in Great Britain.
Melbourne, Australia, 18 August 2023 | Leigh Rogers
When Phoebe David was first invited to play tennis, her initial answer was no.
“I said, ‘sorry, I can’t play tennis. I’m blind’,” David explained to tennis.com.au.
However, Maurice Gleeson, the CEO and President at Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria, insisted that the Melbourne-based David should give blind and low vision (BLV) tennis a try.
“He said, ‘You can actually do anything’,” David related. “So I went along and I’ve never looked back. I absolutely love it.”
David is now “trying to encourage everyone else to give it a go too”.
“I’d say 100 per cent get on down there (and play tennis),” David said.
“Even if it’s not for you, you’ll meet a whole fantastic community of people.”
An adapted foam ball which rattles is used in BLV tennis, along with smaller courts and raised lines to mark boundaries.
“Even now, where I feel like I play a lot better, I’m always learning,” David said.
“You have to be so aware because so many things can affect the game – the glare, wind, whether it’s dark or not.
“Sometimes you swing at the ball thinking it’s right there and it will just go sailing straight past. Or you go to serve and the ball will hit you on the head instead. But it’s all just fun and learning.
“We always laugh at ourselves, which I think is important as well.”
David is now one of Australia’s leading players and has been selected to compete at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games in Great Britain.
She is a member of an 11-person team representing Australia in Birmingham over the next 10 days.
“It means everything,” David said of the opportunity to don the green and gold for the first time.
“For someone who has only been actively playing tennis for the last two and a half years, it’s a massive achievement. I’m so proud of myself and so proud of everyone else who is going too.
“I think it’s going to be a really great bonding experience and awesome to meet other players from around the world. Hopefully we’ll also get some wins.”
> VIEW: Results and schedule for the IBSA World Games
Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!
