Tennis Victoria awards Cooper White Junior Athlete of the Year award
An Alphington tennis prodigy has taken out a prestigious Tennis Victoria award after a terrific season ranked him in the world’s top 10 players for his age.
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FOR Alphington tennis prodigy Cooper White, making the pro circuit is just a matter of keeping his eye on the ball.
The 15-year-old, fresh off two finals appearances at tournaments in Malaysia, has been named the Junior Athlete of the Year by Tennis Victoria.
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The award is recognition for Cooper’s outstanding season, which also included representing Australia at the Junior Davis Cup in Hungary earlier this year.
Cooper said playing at the tournament was one of the highlights of his career so far.
“It was just pretty cool playing for Australia and playing against all the different countries. All the top players were there,” he said.
Cooper has been ranked No.1 in Australia for his age group and is ranked in the world top 10.
Tennis Victoria tennis operations manager Nick Hinneberg said Cooper’s strong performances this year had him surging up the rankings and the award put him alongside previous winners Mark Philippoussis and Chris Guccione.
“Cooper White had a sensational year and it was fantastic to see him recognised for his achievements,” Hinneberg said.
He is regularly compared to world No.5 Alexander Zverev for his explosive serve and backhand and Cooper said he loved to watch the German play.
This semester Cooper started full-time at the National Tennis Centre at Melbourne Park and is completing his high school studies via distance education.
Cooper said his days started at 8am and ended about 4pm but the intense training would be worth it in the end.
“I get to train with the best players in the area. I’m getting the best training possible,” he said.
His next challenge will be the renowned December Showdown, where the country’s best players play off for a spot in the Australian Open.
Cooper will be playing in the under-16 and under-18 competitions and hopes he can go deep into the tournament.
But the young gun’s goals don’t end there.
“Long term I hope I can play in the actual Davis Cup. And everyone would love to win a grand slam,” he said.
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