By Grace Knight
Teenage Bondy Alec Braund has his eyes on an Australian Open berth after taking the competition by storm at the 2022 UniSport Nationals in Perth Western Australia.
In late September a group of Bond tennis players attended the five-day tennis tournament at Perth’s Sorrento Tennis Club where Braund played undefeated all week long.
The 18-year-old described the Uni Games as a special opportunity to meet new people and compete in a team environment for a sport which is typically an individual experience.
“The Uni Games were a unique experience as they incorporate an individual game in a team environment, so you still play your one-on-one games, but your points go towards your team,” said Braund.
“I obviously travel a lot for my tennis, so it was great to see a bunch of people from other teams who I’ve travelled with before, and this also added to our overall competitiveness.”
The Bond tennis team placed 7th overall, and whilst players weren’t appointed individual rankings, Braund played with a 100 per cent win rate.
Braund took up tennis in his hometown of Maryborough at the age of five before moving to the Gold Coast at age 15.
In 2018 Braund won the 14 and under Australian Claycourt Championships and went on to represent Australia at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals.
Last year Braund was awarded the Queensland Junior Player of the Year and over the past few years has been the highest ranked player in Australia for his age among those who continued to attend full time school.
Now the Bond tennis scholarship recipient and exercise and sports science student is maintaining his studies whilst training hard in the lead up to the Junior Australian Open tournament.
“The junior nationals are the lead into the Australian Open, so if you do well in the underages, there’s potential to get into the Australian Open, which is what I am aiming to do this year,” he said.
“Being a member of the Bond Elite Sports program has helped me balance my studies a lot too, particularly around tournament dates.
“They’re always there to support me and help where they can which I’m super grateful for.”