Henryk an ace on court

By Glen Atwell
HENRYK Pawlukowski is a tennis ace in the making.
The 14-year-old from Springvale North Tennis Club has just completed his Tennis Victoria grade six, tier two season with an undefeated string of singles victories.
Despite his club losing the semi-final against Croydon, Henryk finished the season with nine straight singles wins.
The feat is even more impressive considering Henryk competes in an open-age competition, meaning he regularly plays older and more experienced opponents.
“I dropped one set for the season, I was pretty happy with the way I played,” he said.
The year nine student from Mazenod College has also won three consecutive premierships in the B Special One Sunday competition and will make the move to the A Reserve grade next season.
Henryk began playing when he was five years old, but a debilitating hip injury forced him out of the game at age seven.
“I had problems walking, the doctors could not diagnose the problem,” he said. In the end Henryk turned to natural remedies to get himself back onto the court.
“Now it’s not a problem, I’m at full fitness,” he said.
Henryk said living in the same street as the tennis club was a blessing.
“It means I can practise every night, I love it,” he said.
Training with coach Stephen Sruk, Henryk enjoys getting out on the court and working on parts of his game that need improving.
“At the moment I’m concentrating on improving the depth of my shots and how to handle short balls,” he said.
Henryk is currently ranked 332 of all the under 18 tennis players in Australia, but is keen on lowering his ranking to below 100.
“I want to keep moving up in the pennant grades and win some tournaments,” he said.
On the school holidays, Henryk has a real chance to send his ranking tumbling as he competes in the under 16 division of the Optus Junior Nationals.
“I have to win two qualifying matches, but I’m confident I’ll make it to the round of 32,” he said.
Henryk said watching tennis stars such as Roger Federer had helped him stay motivated and confident.
“Federer is so smooth and takes the ball so early, it’s something to learn from,” he said.
But Henryk isn’t ready to compare himself to the unstoppable ‘Fed-Express’.
“I just love tennis, getting out on the court and staying fit,” he said.