by Curlan Campbell, NOW Grenada
- Diane Fakhre was awarded Female Tennis Player of 2017
- Senior Head Coach, Richard Hughes said Fakhre has the potential to excel in the sport
NOW Grenada will be highlighting some of Grenada’s upcoming athletes as the island continues to receive international recognition in sport.
13-year-old Diane Fakhre was awarded Female Tennis Player of 2017 at the Grenada National Sports Awards held in January of this year. Born in Florida, Fakhre relocated to Grenada at the age of 8 and soon found a knack for the game, following in the footsteps of her elder sister Fadia Fakhre. “When I came to Grenada I did a bit of swimming but soon found out it was not for me and then my sister started playing tennis before me, so I used to play with her and there began to love the sport, so I continued until I started winning tournaments.”
The young tennis player praised her coach Richie Hughes who has taught her how to apply principles of discipline and hard work to tennis. “My coach has taught me a lot about discipline, and ever since I got here, he has been teaching me so much not only in the game of tennis, but academically as well.”
Fakhre says being awarded Tennis Player of the year 2017 was a heart-warming experience. “It was the best feeling in the world, and I can’t imagine anything better because there are so many people in tennis and it is really euphoric that I was chosen.”
Richard Hughes is the Senior Head Coach within the Ministry of Sports. He said Fakhre has the potential to excel in the sport. “Diane really started playing recreational tennis because they live really close to the court here on Lowther’s Lane in Tanteen. She comes from a family of extremely disciplined people, and she followed in the footsteps of her sister. Last year she played her first regional tournament in Barbados at the junior level, and she had a pretty good run after qualifying for the finals.”
Fakhre is a form 3 student at Westmorland Secondary School. After completing secondary school, she plans to attend the University of South Florida (USF) to get her degree in dermatology. She also has plans to play at the professional level for her university.
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