By JARROD POTTER
RISING star Maddy Kowalski was almost lost forever to tennis.
Kowalski, 17, from Doveton, almost turned her back for good on tennis after finishing her Bruce Cup commitments as a 12-year-old, but she decided to give it another crack.
After spending three years out of the game, the lingering thought of what she could have achieved spurred her to get back into the swing of the sport she once loved.
She has relished her time on court ever since and advanced into state consideration again as she gained selection for the School Sport Victoria Pizzey Cup team.
“I just felt a lot of regret as I knew I could have been pretty good and I didn’t want to feel that anymore,” Kowalski said.
“It was hard to tell Mum and Dad, but then I came back when I was 15 and I think it’s better now.
“I’m more hungry than I was before, as I was pretty sick of it then, and now I feel a lot stronger after the break.”
With a power-packed baseline game defining Kowalski’s attacking style it was little surprise that the Doveton Tennis Club star was picked to represent Victoria again.
She’s thrilled to return to the court for her state and hopes to excel in the national school sports under-18 tennis championships the same way she smashed past her Bruce Cup competition.
“I represented Victoria in grade six for Bruce Cup,” Kowalski said.
“It’s long – it goes for the whole week and you play a lot of matches against a lot of different people.
“I’m pretty sure I won all of my singles matches, lost a couple of my doubles matches and we came second to Queensland and that whole experience will help me a lot this time.
“It’s pretty good to be part of the team again.”
Year 12 is also on her plate at Lyndale Secondary College to make for a hectic 2015 and after completing her studies Kowalski hopes to pursue her tennis fervently before starting university.
She wanted to thank her parents, family and Lyndale Secondary College for their support.
The Pizzey Cup tournament will be held in Hobart, Tasmania from 2-10 May.
