Two Saskatchewan tennis players are making a name for themselves and not only in the province, but across the country.
Sisters Anya, 17, and Teah Chavez, 13, are both ranked first in Saskatchewan — U18 and U14, respectively.
Nationally, Anya is ranked just outside the top 100 while Teah is ranked 12th.
“I just like the energy it gives me. I’m really competitive in everything that I do,” Teah said.
“That competitiveness really drove me to play more, do well and win.”
Anya admits it took her some time to warm up to tennis, but like Teah, competition drives her passion for the game.
“Once I got to compete…I just wanted to win all the time and that’s what made me want to train even more,” Anya said.
“That’s when I fell in love with it.”
Success is one thing — the bond it’s created between them is what really sets them apart.
“We’re closer than ever right now. Training with each other every day, we are basically together 24-7,” Teah said.
“It’s pretty cool to get share something with her. We can relate pretty easily to each other,” Anya said.
And for their parents, it’s a dream come true.
“I love seeing them out there. They are so determined and so disciplined at what they do,” said Angie, Anya and Teah’s mother.
“The dedication is crazy.”
Despite spending so much time together, their style of play couldn’t be more different.
Teah is more vocal on the court.
“She shows all of her emotion…fiery, she goes all for it. If she wins a point, she definitely screaming, ‘come on lets go,’” Anya said.
Anya is cool and collective.
“Her composure is just incredible on court. She never gets mad, she never shows anything, she’s just so calm and so poised on court. It’s really nice to see,” Teah said.
More than just a game, the duo said tennis has taught them a lot about life.
“Sometimes you won’t have someone there supporting you all the time.”
Teah said tennis has taught her anything is possible through hard work.
“Everything is in your head and you can do whatever your mind tells you or what you set to do in life,” Teah said.
“Don’t listen to what anyone says and never stop fighting for anything you believe in or want.”
It’s a message their parents share with them every day.
“If you focus on…I have everything that I need to be successful, it’s just up to you…not just in sports, it’s in everything, at work, at home,” said Alex, Anya and Teah’s father.
“You find excuses, you’re going to fail.”
Anya is striving for a scholarship at an American university — a chance to play Division One.
“It would make me so happy to know that all of my years of training, competing, missing out on birthday parties, hanging out with friends to train…paid off,” Anya said.
Teah has her sights on top of the tennis world.
“I would like to be going to Grand Slams, winning Grand Slams, winning WTA tournaments…I would like to go far,” Teah said.
Sharing that success with her sister is something Teah said would make it that much sweeter.
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