12 Youngest Active Australian Tennis Players

Tennis players worldwide are nothing new, and sports fans have followed tennis matches for centuries. Tennis was first played in France in 1591 and later spread to England, Scotland, and Germany as early as the 1700s.

Nowadays, you can watch live tennis matches online or through television streaming services like DirecTV Now by AT&T or subscription-only services like Sony PlayStation Vue by Sony.

As the sport of tennis continues to grow in the Australian community, there is a huge demand for aspiring tennis players who want to progress in their careers. The world has realized just how important it is to start young; starting at an early age provides opportunities that can be used throughout your career.

Here we look at the youngest active tennis players in Australia today.

12. Lizette Cabrera (December 19, 1997 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Australian tennis player Lizette Cabrera is of Filipino origin. On February 3, 2020, she climbed as high as No. 119 in the singles rankings throughout her career. Cabrera’s initial 2016 rating was 1062.

In September 2016, she claimed her breakthrough victory on the professional circuit. However, she finished the year in 257th place in the singles rankings.

Cabrera knew at 12 that her tennis skills were sufficient to pursue a professional career. She believes Eugenie Bouchard’s style most strongly matches her own, and her favorite stroke is her two-handed backhand. At 19, she made it to the quarterfinals of a tour match in Guangzhou, China.

Did You Know?

In 2017, Cabrera made her Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open.

11. Max Purcell (April 3, 1998 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Professional tennis player Max Purcell is from Australia. He teamed up with Matthew Ebden to win the doubles match in the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, giving him his first Grand Slam victory. Purcell and Saville initially made it to the final at the 2020 Australian Open, and the duo also finished runners-up there in 2022.

At the age of 14 or 15, he believed he was skilled enough to attempt a career as a tennis professional. Then, in July 2016, Max Purcell captured the Gimcheon ATP Challenger, becoming the second-lowest-ranked champion of a Challenger tournament since 2000. It was his first professional victory.

Did You Know?

In April 2018, Purcell triumphed in the Mornington Pro Tour clay-court competition as his first professional victory on Australian soil.

10. Priscilla Hon (May 10, 1998 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Tennis player Priscilla Hon is from Australia. In singles, she peaked at No. 118 in October 2019, and in doubles, she peaked at No. 91 in April 2018, both WTA records. The 23-year-old secures a thrilling victory over a top-20 opponent in Adelaide, earning the season’s first “point.”

At age six, she began playing tennis. The Queensland Tennis Centre’s National Academy Brisbane is her primary training facility. Hon captured her first ITF junior championship in 2012 in the Swiss Junior Trophy, a Grade 4 competition, at Oberentfelden.

Did You Know?

Hon earned her first professional ITF championship in March 2015 in the $15,000 clay-court competition in Mornington. In October, she won a second title at the $25,000 Brisbane Pro Tour championship.

9. Kimberly Birrell (April 29, 1998 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Tennis player Kimberly Birrell is from Australia. On the ITF Circuit, she has earned singles championships, and one doubles championship. On May 6, 2019, Birrell attained her highest singles position in the world, No. 154.

She exhibited her excellence as a doubles player in 2012 by winning the Sydney Junior International with fellow Australian Maddison Inglis. In the doubles of the 2012 Optus 14 Clay Court Championships and the Grasscourt Championships, Birrell advanced to the semifinals on her preferred playing surface.

Did You Know?

Suffering from an elbow injury, Birrell was out for the majority of the seasons in 2020 and 2021.

8. Blake Ellis (January 6, 1999 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Tennis player Blake Ellis was from Australia. The boys’ doubles team of Ellis and Alex De Minaur took home the Australian Open trophy in 2016. In October 2014, Ellis made his professional debut at the Australia F7, where he was eliminated in the first round. Ellis participated on the ITF Men’s Circuit from 2015 to 2017 at events in Asia, Europe, and Australia.

At the 2018 Hopman Cup, Ellis served as a backup player and striking teammate for Alexander Zverev, David Goffin, and Roger Federer. He qualified for the Kyoto Challenger in February 2018 and made it to the semifinals. Roger Federer is his favorite athlete.

Did You Know?

Ellis participated in the Junior Davis Cup for Australia in 2015.

7. Alexandra Bozovic (February 15, 1999 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Tennis player Alexandra Bozovic is an Australian professional. Bozovic’s career-high singles and doubles WTA rankings, attained on December 12, 2022, are 305 and 223, respectively.

After claiming the 2020 Australian Open Wildcard Playoff and earning a spot into the women’s doubles competition at the 2020 Australian Open partnering Amber Marshall, Bozovic achieved her first Grand Slam main-draw appearance.

Did You Know?

Alexandra Bozovic said that Monica Seles and Novak Djokovic are her dream tennis partners.

6. Alex de Minaur (February 17, 1999 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Tennis professional Alex de Minaur is from Australia. On June 28, 2021, he attained his highest singles ATP rating of No. 15. On October 12, 2020, he reached his highest doubles ATP position of No. 58. In July 2015, he competed in the Spain F22, making his debut appearance and progressing to the quarterfinals.

Despite receiving a final spot in the 2016 Australian Open qualifying stages, he was defeated by Kimmer Coppejans in the first round. De Minaur played on the ITF circuit in Spain for the remainder of the next season, making two final appearances. In Germany’s Eckental, where he qualified, he reached his first ATP Challenger Tour final but fell to Steve Darcis.

Did You Know?

Alex de Minaur entered the top 15 for the first time after winning his inaugural ATP-level grasscourt championship at Eastbourne in June 2021.

5. Seone Mendez (May 15, 1999 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Australian tennis player Seone Mendez is of Argentine ancestry. At the Winners Open in July 2021, Mendez earned her WTA Tour breakthrough by eliminating Irina Fetecău in the last qualifying round to secure a place in the main tournament. After making her WTA debut, Mendez lost three sets against former No. 9 Andrea Petkovic, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Mendez saw her potential as a professional athlete at the age of thirteen. She appreciates both hard and clay courts, and she feels that Justine Henin’s game is similar to hers.

Did You Know?

March 2022 marked Seone Mendez’s entry into the top 200 singles charts.

4. Alexei Popyrin (August 5, 1999 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

At the age of four, Alexei Popyrin started playing tennis. He won the Optus 12s Grasscourt Championships in 2011. He also triumphed in the Optus 12s National Clay Court Championships with teammate Chase Ferguson. Popyrin made his ATP World Tour debut on August 8, 2016.

He defeated Nicola Kuhn from Spain in the final to win the Roland Garros boys’ singles championship in 2017, becoming the first Australian to do so since Phil Dent in 1968. Following his victory at the French Open, he reached a career-high ITF junior No. 2 in June.

Did You Know?

Popyrin competed in his first Grand Slam main draw match at the Australian Open in 2018, losing in the first round to Tim Smyczek.

3. Jaimee Fourlis (September 17, 1999 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

The Australian tennis player Jaimee Fourlis is of Greek ancestry. Her greatest doubles ranking of 138 was attained on March 2, 2020, while her highest singles rating of 147 was reached on July 18, 2022. She has taken home four ITF doubles championships and seven ITF singles championships.

In February 2016, Fourlis attained a career-high cumulative ranking of 38 on the ITF Junior Circuit. Following her win in the 2017 Australian Open Wildcard Playoff by beating Abbie Myers in the championship match and receiving a wildcard into the Australian Open singles matches, Fourlis earned her Grand Slam main-draw appearance.

Did You Know?

Jaimee Fourlis had shoulder surgery after losing in the first round in Perth in March 2020.

2. Dane Sweeny (December 2, 2001 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Professional tennis player Dane Sweeny is from Australia. Dane Sweeny made his ITF junior debut at the Queensland Junior Winter International in Kawana in 2014. Late in 2017, he entered the top 100 in the ITF junior world rankings.

2021’s Melbourne Summer Series marked Dane’s first ATP main draw singles victory. In December 2017, Sweeny won the 16-and-under Australian Championships. He also won the Lee Duk Hee Cup Chuncheon International singles title in 2018.

Did You Know?

On November 15, 2021, he made his debut in the top 500. Sweeny’s singles ranking at the end of 2021 was 496.

1. Olivia Gadecki (April 24, 2002 – present)

photo source: tennis.com.au

Olivia Gadecki is the youngest active Australian tennis player in the world. When Olivia Gadecki was three years old, her four brothers pushed her to start picking up a tennis racket for the first time. Serena Williams was cited as her role model. In 2020, she also worked out with Ash Barty, the world’s best.

Her forehand and huge serve both support her attacking style of play. At the 2014 Longines Future Tennis Aces competition in Paris, Olivia represented Australia. In December 2016, she also captured the singles championship in the 14 and under Australian Championships.

Did You Know?

In May 2021, Olivia Gadecki won her inaugural ITF singles professional championship in Antalya, Turkey.