Most 10-year-olds would probably turn in at the thought of training 12 hours a week but Wagga junior Elijah Dikkenberg is living proof that hard works pays off.
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Fresh from a breakout 2018 season that included a stunning sweep of the Temora Junior Development Series tournament, Elijah’s star has continued to rise.
The flyweight right-hander picked up a doubles gold medal in last weekend’s NSW Closed Championships alongside Canberra talent Harry Sincock before earning bronze in the singles.
Elijah was joined by fellow Wagga juniors Amelia Hanson, Ben Duffy and Sophia Toole, all of whom impressed at the tournament.
However, there’s no time for Elijah to sit back though with a host of new challenges on the horizon.
“I play tournaments all the time so it’s pretty busy. I’ve got a few in Sydney, Canberra, Bathurst and Wollongong all coming up too,” Elijah said.
One such tournament is none other than the Sydney International where Elijah is hoping to make an impact.
“It’s pretty exciting actually – they pick four kids from NSW Country and they play off against the city kids in a one-day tournament and that should be fun.”
Already the consumant professional, Elijah has begun to model his play off Austrian star Dominic Thiem and might even be lucky enough to meet him when he heads down to the Australian Open in January.
“He’s definitely my favourite player at the moment,” Elijah said.
“I’ll get to go to the Open next year and they’re going to let me flip a coin at the quarter final or semi final – or maybe even the grand final.”
It’s still early days but if Elijah keeps on winning, Dominic Thiem might flipping coins for him one day.
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