7 June 2016 | Tennis Queensland

At just twelve years of age, young Queenslander Lara Walker has ticked off some very big career goals after being chosen as the Australian representative for the Longines Future Tennis Aces tournament in Paris. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity saw Lara visit Roland Garros during the French Open and compete in her first international tournament against the best young players from around the world.

Lara, who plays at Bayside Tennis Coaching in Redland Bay, was chosen for the opportunity after showing great results in recent tournaments and performing well in national rankings. She is currently the highest ranked player in her age group in Australia and an exciting example of Queensland’s future stars.

Although Spain’s Maria Lopez Martinez saw to Walker’s first round elimination from the Future Aces event, the action continued throughout the week for Lara and her fellow competitors, enjoying many Parisian novelties including French cuisine, visits to the Eiffel Tower and other tourist hot spots, plus a chance to witness the Grand Slam action live at Roland Garros. The girls were also introduced to legends of the game Kim Clijsters, Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez who inspired the players with their own advice and tips for the girls’ bright future.

 Read Lara’s blog from the event.