Young tennis champ eyes Paralympics
ADAM Kellerman has qualified for the Australian wheelchair tennis squad and has his eyes set on London's 2010 Paralympic Games.
DAVID WEINER
IN 2003, just after Adam Kellerman celebrated his bar mitzvah, he received the news that no-one wants to hear. After suffering pains in his leg, scans and tests confirmed he had cancer in his hip.
Now, the 19-year-old sports fanatic has qualified for the Australian wheelchair tennis squad -— the equivalent of the Davis Cup squad.
The world’s 80th-ranked player not only has his eyes set on the top spot, but a berth at London’s 2010 Paralympic Games. And he wants to spread the gospel about the sport that has re-energised his life.
“Before I was diagnosed, I played a lot of sport -— my favourite sports were soccer and ice hockey. Then, for three years, I couldn’t play any sport and got really depressed, until my dad found wheelchair tennis [in 2006],” Kellerman reflected.
“It got me out of my depression. I needed the sport. I loved playing sport, and without being outside I wasn’t myself. Once I found wheelchair tennis, I found somewhere I belonged; I had similar people who knew what I went through.”
While undergoing chemotherapy, Kellerman suffered an infection in the bone, and could not complete the final round of his treatment. Aided by the “strength and courage” provided by his parents, he was cleared of cancer in 2004, but spent two years fighting the infection. He now needs the support of a walking stick, but that setback is not enough to put a halt to his sporting ambitions.
“It’s my life now,” he said. “I look up to [tennis world number one Roger] Federer. His game kind of matches mine, the way he keeps a level head, not one shot that’s better than the others.”
Kellerman boasts an impressive CV since picking up his racquet in 2006. He was chosen for the junior Australian teams in 2007 and 2008, and his senior ranking has been as high as 46th in the world. Last year, he won the Queensland and Tasmanian Opens in both the singles and doubles; won the doubles at the Sydney International and was runner-up in the New Zealand Open. In January 2010, he lost to the Aussie number one in the second round in Sydney, but now has his sights set on two tournaments at the University of Arizona, before joining the Australian squad at the World Cup.
The Masada graduate, who trains four times a week on the court and four to five days a week in the gym, works for Wheelchair Sport NSW on a casual basis. Having enjoyed the benefits of the sporting circuit after his illness, he is now determined to inspire others
For more information, visit www.adamkellerman.com
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