Dembo earns shot at Junior Wimbledon
LAST year was a milestone one in tennis for 13-year-old Perth boy Jake Dembo. But by winning an important grasscourt tournament last month on the other side of the country in Albury, NSW, he ensured 2022 will be even better.
The former Carmel School student – currently ranked first in Australia for boys born in 2008 – travelled to the east coast without his family, due to Western Australia’s strict border restrictions.
There, he competed in the Australian U14 boys’ 2022 Junior Wimbledon qualifying event as the top seed, winning all of his five matches, without dropping a set.
After getting through a tough 6-3 6-4 semi-final win, he clinched the title – and its prize of entry into Junior Wimbledon this July – with a 5-1 win in the final against South Australian Filip Fantasia, who retired mid-match due to injury.
Dembo told The AJN that qualifying for his first Junior Wimbledon “is a dream come true”, and he is grateful for the opportunity.
“There was a lot of debate on whether I would even travel to NSW … then days before the tournament, everything lined up in my favour,” Dembo said.
“I flew from Perth to Melbourne, where I was fortunate to have my former WA coach step in, and together we made our way to Albury.
“I knew the competition would be tough, but I was blocking out any nerves.
“All the dedicated hours on court have really paid off, and I am very excited to [be able to] compete at Junior Wimbledon [for Australia], against 16 different countries.”
After success playing in junior state and national tournaments, Dembo stepped up in May 2021 by entering his first junior International Tennis Federation (ITF) event.
Overall, he won five out of his seven matches, advancing to the third round of qualifying, before advancing into the main draw of the next tournament.
By the end of October, he’d won first round matches at three other junior ITF hardcourt tournaments in Australia, and made the semis of the U14 boys’ singles Clay Court Nationals.
Dembo also won four WA Tennis Australia Gold tournaments last year, and in October became the youngest player to compete in a Tennis West State League men’s match, for his club Mt Lawley.
When asked what the key was to his success, he answered, “I’ve separated my training goals into specific areas for improving my skills, fitness, strength and focus – this allows me to concentrate on different aspects.
“Although my favourite surface is hardcourt, I have increased my training on clay and grass … and I’ve also kept up playing golf, which I love too, as my time-out activity.”
Knowing he will need to travel for weeks or months at a time throughout this year, Dembo made a decision with his parents to do his schooling in 2022 via distance education.
“That will allow me to maximise my tennis training and tournaments,” he said.
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