Celebrity Match with Melissa Wu
Olympic diver Melissa Wu shares her favourite tennis memories in our Celebrity Match series.
Sydney, Australia, 12 July 2020 | Leigh Rogers
Melissa Wu is a professional diver, who won an Olympic silver medal as a 16-year-old. Claiming silver in the synchronised 10-metre platform event in Beijing in 2008, Wu became the youngest Australian diver to ever win an Olympic medal. Wu, who lives in Sydney, has won two Commonwealth Games gold medals and two World Championship silver medals in her career.
In our Celebrity Match series, Wu reveals she’s always enjoyed playing tennis too …
I used to play tennis in the backyard with my Dad growing up. Although I’ve never been very good, I loved it and occasionally he took me to the tennis court to play too.
I don’t get the chance to play tennis much anymore, so just being able to occasionally return the ball counts as my best shot.
My earliest tennis memory is my Dad teaching me as a kid how to hit the ball. I used to love it and would always nag him to play with me.
I didn’t get to see a live tennis match until a couple of years ago. My brother is a big tennis fan, so my family and I bought him tickets to the 2018 Australian Open for his 21st birthday. I was the lucky one that got to go with him and we watched the men’s and women’s finals.
My favourite player to watch is Simona Halep. I watched her in the women’s final at the Australian Open in 2018 and was inspired by the dynamic way she played, especially considering she’s much shorter than many of her opponents.
Definitely Roger Federer! He’s not only an exceptional athlete but is also one of the best when it comes to being professional, humble and kind. He sets the benchmark for what an athlete should be both in and out of sport and is someone I aspire to be like.
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The best part of the Australian Open is … the atmosphere and excitement of seeing the world’s best players come together and go head to head on Aussie soil.
Tennis is fun because … you can play at any age or skill level, so it’s a fun activity to do with friends and can also be great for cross training to improve fitness.