Get to Know Our Rising Tennis Stars: An Inside Look at RSC’s National Team Athletes

Step into the world of tennis excellence here at Rideau Sports Centre (RSC), where our High-Performance Program is shaping the next generation of tennis champions. We’re striving to become one of the leading Junior Tennis Development Centres’ in the country while empowering our athletes to compete at their highest potential. Guided by this vision, our program is dedicated to providing top-tier training, mentorship, and support to young athletes who dream of reaching the pinnacle of the sport.  

Rachel Cruickshank, Head of High Performance at RSC, shares her excitement about the program’s most recent milestone, “With our high-performance program becoming a part of Tennis Canada’s U15 Development Program, it gives us confidence moving forward to help our athletes truly receive the support they need. This is only the beginning!”  

So, who are some of these athletes? Meet Sienna Manashe, Eli Marks, Bronwyn Duggan, and Julien Gagnon. These remarkable individuals have not only showcased exceptional talent but have also demonstrated unwavering dedication to their craft. Let’s learn more about them!  

Q. What age did you start playing tennis? How did you get started with the sport?
A. I started playing at the age of 5 by hitting the ball against the wall in the family room. 

Q. What does a week in the life of a High-Performance Athlete at RSC look like?
A. I train 7 hours a week at RSC as well as another 1-2 hours a week playing arrange matchplay or with my dad.

Q. How do you prepare yourself before matches?
A. I prefer to get to my matches early to soak in the environment and watch others play. I also like to converse with friends.

Q. Tell us about your biggest accomplishment so far as a tennis athlete?
A. Some of my biggest accomplishments so far include; Finalist at the Ontario U10 Championship, 7th place at U12 Nationals, and being selected as a member of the Tennis Canada delegation at the Florida Orange Bowl.

Q. What’s next? Tell us about some of your future goals.
A. I want to get a D1 College Scholarship in Florida to get away from the cold weather.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not playing tennis?
A. I enjoy baking and hanging out with friends.

Q. Anything else you want to share with us? Any special talents?
A. I can move my ears!!!!  

Q. What age did you start playing tennis? How did you get started with the sport?
A. I started playing tennis when I was 6 years old. I started because my dad loves to play tennis and he wanted a hitting partner.

Q. What does a week in the life of a High Performance Athlete at RSC look like?
A. I train 10 hours a week in group training, plus 2 hours of private lessons and 1 ½ hours of fitness. I usually play a tournament 1 or 2 weekends in a month.

Q. How do you prepare yourself before matches?
A. Before a match I will do a good stretch and then a physical warm up.  Once  I’m at the club, I will do another intensity warm up for about 10-15 minutes shortly before my match starts, and then keep my body moving until I go on court.

Q. Tell us about your biggest accomplishment so far as a tennis athlete?
A. My biggest accomplishment so far would be winning the U12 Ontario Provincial Championship.

Q. What’s next? Tell us about some of your future goals.
A. My dream is to become a professional tennis player and play in grand slams!

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not playing tennis?
A. My other hobbies are playing ping pong and drawing and hanging out with my friends.

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration?
A. Djokovic because he is so disciplined and has such a steady mentality in all of his matches.

Q. Anything else you want to share with us? Any special talents?
A. I also play the piano! 

Q. What age did you start playing tennis? How did you get started with the sport?
A. I started playing tennis when I was about 6 years old. I played my first OTA Future Stars tournament in 2017 (at age 7) at the Rideau! I got into tennis because my brother was a competitive player. We would be around the courts a lot and I would watch him play. So, when I was around 6 my parents signed me up for the “Mighty Mights!” Group and the rest is history.  

Q. What does a week in the life of a High-Performance Athlete at RSC look like?
A. I train every weekday and then take the weekends off. In total, I play tennis for 15 hours a week- average about 3 hours a day and of course much more for fitness.

Q. How do you prepare yourself before matches?
A. Before matches, I always do a physical warm up (including jogging, shuffling, cross-over, dynamic stretching, and band work). I like to just sit in silence right before I go on court; a lot of people like to list to music, but I don’t find it very calming.

Q. Tell us about your biggest accomplishment so far as a tennis athlete?
A. My biggest accomplishment as an athlete was when I placed 10th at U12 Nationals in 2021. Since then I’ve made U14 Nationals (Both indoor and outdoor), although 10th is the highest I’ve gotten.

Q. What’s next? Tell us about some of your future goals.
A. One of my goals is to get a D1 Scholarship for tennis and then become a pro player. In general, I just want to inspire people to do things they were told they couldn’t do.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not playing tennis?
A. Outside of tennis, I like to workout, watch TV, read and also I know this is kind of weird, but I like to make pretty notes. I spend a lot of time just re-writing school notes in different colours and fonts, re-writing ‘to-do’ and grocery lists.

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration?
A. My biggest inspiration is Serena Williams. Best female tennis player of all time, who brown down so many barriers. I’m also really inspired by Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva. I’m inspired by Iga because she is and plays sort of like me. Mirra Andreeva is a big inspiration for me because she is so young and already one of the best in the world.

Q. Anything else you want to share with us? Any special talents?
A. I can juggle! 

Q. What age did you start playing tennis? How did you get started with the sport?
A.  I started playing at 6 years old but didn’t start playing competitively until around age 8. I started playing tennis because my mom likes it and wanted me to try.  

Q. What does a week in the life of a High Performance Athlete at RSC look like?
A. I train 5 days a week: 2 hours on Mondays, 3 hours on Tuesday, 2 hours on Wednesdays, 3 hours on Thursdays, and 2 hours on Fridays. I also do 1 and a half hours of fitness a week.

Q. How do you prepare yourself before matches?
A. I usually warm up before my matches and do some mobility and agility excerises.

Q. Tell us about your biggest accomplishment so far as a tennis athlete?
A.  Winning provincials twice and finishing 5th at Nationals.

Q. What’s next? Tell us about some of your future goals.
A. I would like to win Nationals. A long term goal of mine is to go pro and be top 50 in the world.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not playing tennis?
A. I enjoy watching other sports like basketball and American football. I also like to watch movies,

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration?
A. Rafael Nadal. He is one of the reasons why I like tennis and he will always be my G.O.A.T.

Q. Anything else you want to share with us? Any special talents?
A. I have a good memory. I know pretty much all the ATP, NBA & NFL players.