00:04This is teenager David Beckles, who has a passion for lawn tennis.
00:08He was born in the USA to a Taiwanese mother and Trinidadian father.
00:13Just 16, Beckles was delighted after winning the under-18 category
00:17at the Catch National Junior Tennis Championships on Thursday in Taquerigua.
00:21The tournament was great. There's a lot of good players, a lot of athletic players.
00:26It was reasonably tough. I mean, all the kids were, this is their home court,
00:32so it was a lot harder for me to compete in some of the matches.
00:36But overall, I would say there's a lot of good players, and it was a good experience.
00:41Beckles has two brothers, Dylan and Daniel, both of whom also have a penchant for the sport.
00:47So the question is, when did it start for David?
00:50I've been playing tennis for about eight years now.
00:52So, yeah, I've been hitting with my brother every day for the past week.
00:58He's been warming me up, and we've just been practicing a lot.
01:02Even before I came here, I was making preparations, just like training in the heat.
01:07Yeah, and doing all that stuff.
01:09Having taken part in the Catch tournament, Beckles is eligible to play for this country.
01:13But why TNT?
01:15Just the people and the community and the food. The food's really good, too. Yeah.
01:22Beckles wants to one day play tennis at a top college.
01:24But for now, he's getting ready for an ITF tournament on Monday at the Racquet Center.
01:30And he's keeping his goals simple.
01:32I want to reach the quarterfinals, but it's really just going one round at a time.
01:36I don't want to get too overconfident, but I just want to take it one round at a time.
01:40And what sort of motivation do you get from your family, mom, dad, and your brothers?
01:44Well, my family motivates me by pushing me to go further, pushing me to work harder, definitely.
01:51Despite being heavily involved in tournaments, Beckles wants to become a lawyer,
01:56thus making the switch from tennis courts to a court building.
02:00The two nieces?
02:01I don't know.
02:01No, I don't know where the woman is.
02:01Now, I need to see you at my daughter's spot.
02:03I'm sorry.
Comments