By JARROD POTTER
IT does not sound like much, but for Caleb Boland picking up his first ATP point meant the world to him.
The literal world as Boland, 17, from Lysterfield, is now on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) world rankings list with his high-ranking match victory earlier this year.
By knocking off Brandon Walkin earlier this year at the Australia F3 tournament in Mildura – 2-6, 6-1 and 7-6 in a back-and-forth final set tiebreaker – Boland picked up the elusive first ATP point and earned his place among the world’s best.
The first round victory gave Boland the right to call himself an ATP ranked player – currently 1756 in the world – a difficult achievement for most junior male tennis players to accomplish.
“It feels really good – not many people my age have an ATP ranking, so I was ecstatic to get that ATP point,” Boland said. “Got a wild card into the main draw and I played a really high ranked player (Walkin) and I beat him and that got me into the second round, but I lost to a very good player (Thomas Fancutt).
“It was a really big tournament – the ITF Futures event in Mildura about five or six months ago when I just turned 17 – and to get it in Australia as well I was really proud of myself.”
While 1756 might be on the foothills of the ATP rankings charts and a long way to go to even take a couple of hundred spots off, Boland was thrilled to make his mark and take that first step in the senior ranks.
His summer season ambitions are ambitious, but Boland thinks his drive and motivation will serve him well as he hopes a top 1000 ranking looms in his immediate future.
“I’m really aiming towards top 1000 ATP – to get that ranking I’ll have to win a lot of main draw matches while travelling, so it’s going to be pretty difficult but that’s my aim,” Boland said. “Would have to get through a lot of qualifying and stuff … I’d have to win 10 more (ATP ranked) matches to get to top 1000.”
To fuel his tennis ambitions, Boland has made the tough decision to start home schooling so he can focus more on his tennis.
He believes, especially with a crucial few years ahead, it gives him the best shot at smashing his way towards a professional tennis career.
He’s already bounced about a fair bit already with his calendar featuring Alice Springs, Cairns, Brisbane, Toowoomba and Wollongong this spring.
His next challenge – the 18 and under nationals – would open another door for the powerhouse junior: a ticket into the Australian Open qualifying draw.
