Tennis SA is happy to report Claudia May, an 18 year old from Lockleys, has been successful in receiving a four year tennis scholarship in the US. It’s fantastic to see South Australian talent being recognised in this way, and an amazing opportunity for Claudia.
Claudia has a precious few weeks left at home before heading off in June to attend the University of Central Florida in Orlando (nicknamed ‘the Knights’). Here Claudia will be studying business and during this time will be able to experience a true taste of American culture, to help guide her into deciding what major her studies will be in.
Claudia’s process in gaining her scholarship was a little different to that of Chloe Hule (who was also recently interviewed ). When asked about the process, Claudia explained it was through the assistance of the Aussie Athletes Agency. Dora Kotsiou was a key agent in the process, having been a successful USA Tennis Scholarship recipient herself, provided valuable advice to Claudia along the way.
“The application started with Dora filming me hitting and formed a short video clip of my game that was uploaded onto YouTube. I had a few schools approach me, as they saw my video online (over 700 views so far!)”, said Claudia.
“However, it was with Dora’s prior US knowledge and experience that she was able to email schools which best suited me and sent them the link to my video. From here I was in contact with many schools, some which included a few Skype calls. I eventually chose University of Central Florida and signed in the early signing period, as I loved the coaches and was excited by their program” explained Claudia.
Claudia will be training alongside some of the nation’s top tennis players, three of which have recently been named in ‘The American All-Conference Team’. With off-court sessions before class and on-court training for two to three hours in the afternoon, plus travelling most weekends to compete with the team against other university teams, Claudia will have plenty of opportunities to absorb valuable knowledge and gain inspiration from her experienced teammates.
“I’m really looking forward to this exciting opportunity. There are going to be many challenges ahead, but I’m confident I will have a great time both on and off the court. My family and friends have been so supportive and they will be the ones I miss the most whilst living in America”, said Claudia.
Best of luck Claudia, we hope all your hard work pays off with some amazing experiences!
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