With much hype about Australian Tennis players and the Olympics, one tennis player who is quietly waiting in the wings for his chance to represent Australia is Henry de Cure, of Glenelg North. Whilst his ranking isn’t high enough to compete at Rio this year, he has until Tokyo 2020 to drop his world ranking from 88 to 34 in order to qualify for Wheelchair Tennis at the Paralympics.
Henry was born 23 years ago with Exomphalos, a weakening of the abdominal wall resulting in some internal organs being formed outside his body. Henry considers himself very lucky to be alive, as one in 10 babies born with Exomophalos don’t survive, he doesn’t have any pain and has the ability to do pretty much everything an abled bodied person can do.
When asked about his sporting background, Henry admits he is a sports addict and happy to participate in pretty much everything. It was through after school sports programs for people with a disability which allowed Henry to trial a number of sports including basketball and swimming, but found tennis to be the best fit.
Like every professional athlete, aiming to be the world’s best requires a huge amount of support. Henry is quick to acknowledge and show appreciation for a long list of key people who have helped guide him throughout his journey. Henry described a few of these people;
- Peter Smith was extremely important in the early stages
- Peter McGrath was also there from the start and coached me from about 2009 – 2015
- Martin Richards is my long term private coach and has driven me to be the professional player I am today
- Greg Crump has been a guiding force on many tours interstate and overseas
- Andrew Ash from Brisbane was the National Junior Coach who helped our team secured medals at the 2009 and 2010 World Team Cup
- My team mates at World Team Cups: Adam Kellerman, Josh Christian, David McCormick, Keegan Oh-Chee and Stephan Rochecouste
- And of course my family who have enabled me to be the best player I can be. This includes love, support and a lot of money for travel, coaching and accommodation!
Henry’s latest achievement is to be the first para-athlete in the South Australian Tennis Academy. “It’s great to be included and considered an equal alongside the best players in the state, and it’s really turned me into a fully professional athlete” beamed de Cure.
“I’ve gone from having two-three hits a week to two sessions a day, a full fitness program and access to a number of services. The Academy coaches and other players have really embraced the challenge” explained de Cure. This lift in support is a certainly a new experience for all involved and Henry is certainly looking forward to making the most of it.
When asked about his life away from the courts, Henry makes time to volunteer for Amnesty International as the SA Schools Convener and also a Branch Committee member. “It’s extremely rewarding knowing you are informing the public about a number of important issues, educating kids and contributing to an organisation that aims to make the world a better place” said de Cure.
Henry is a highly motivated and committed young man with a big task ahead in terms of qualifying for the 2020 Paralympics. However, with the help of the Academy and many other keen supporters in his corner, Henry now has a great chance of wheeling his way up towards a Paralympic gold medal.
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