It means Na can access his personal guidance and train at his academy on the Cote d\u2019Azur when she\u2019s in Europe \u2013 just like foundation alumni Coco Gauff and others have done on their journeys to Grand Slam glory.<\/p>\n
As New Zealand\u2019s leading player for her age, Na took her first trip to Europe this year to test herself against elite young players from across the globe.<\/p>\n
She turned heads at the IMG Future Stars tournament in Athens, Greece, in April, where she won five of her six matches, defeating the 12-and-under champions from Spain, France, Denmark, Great Britain and Peru \u2013 losing only to the world No 1 from China.<\/p>\n
She then went on to win a 12-and-under category 1 Tennis Europe event in Villeneuve-Loubet, France \u2013 defeating the top European player in the final. And she made her first 14-and-under category 3 Tennis Europe final in Marathon, Greece.<\/p>\n
Tatiana Na turned heads at the IMG Future Stars tournament in Athens. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Na says she was surprised to discover she could hold her own against the top-tier players of her age in Europe. Similarly, her coach Sebastian Lavie says even he was amazed by how she handled herself on the world stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was her first big international trip, so you never know how someone\u2019s going to manage it, but she exceeded my expectations to be honest,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
When offers of representation arrived from IMG and other talent management agencies, it reinforced his belief that Na has all the necessary qualities to become an international tennis star.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve worked with the best players in the country, but she\u2019s at a different level in terms of what\u2019s she\u2019s achieving now,\u201d Lavie says. <\/p>\n
\u201cEven at 12 years, you can see someone\u2019s potential through their physical attributes, their family background, mindset, and how professional they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe interest from someone like Patrick Mouratoglou, who is pretty much the biggest name in tennis, and the offers we\u2019re getting from brands and agencies, isn\u2019t because they think she can be in the top 100 in the world, it\u2019s because they think she can be one of the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t take Mouratoglou long to recognise Na\u2019s potential when he first spied her explosive groundstrokes in Athens, Lavie says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithin the first three points of her first game, she hit three forehand winners and he basically said, \u2018After this match you\u2019re going to have all the agents come and try and sign her\u2019,\u201d he recalls. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe won the match easily and then, straightaway, four agents asked if we could sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mouratoglou says he perceives qualities in Tatiana that could see her reach the pinnacle of tennis, highlighting her drive, dedication and professionalism.<\/p>\n
\u201cA player like Tatiana can put New Zealand on the world map of tennis,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cYear after year she will develop and progress. She\u2019ll play the most important international tournaments, win some, then play qualifications for the Grand Slams, and maybe one day, she\u2019ll be in the very end of those Grand Slams.\u201d<\/p>\n
The growing interest in Na even extends to major international brands seeking to sign the promising youngster.<\/p>\n
Tatiana training with the Lavie Tennis Academy. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got offers \u2013 Nike, Lacoste, Adidas\u2026,\u201d says Lavie. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important for her to be part of that process and make decisions about what racket she wants, what clothing she wants, but also to stay humble and grounded. It\u2019s the potential they believe in, not where she is yet; she needs to work and earn it in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a young tennis prodigy is something Lavie knows plenty about. A former Davis Cup player for New Zealand, Lavie moved to France at the age of 11 to pursue a tennis career.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a 12-year-old I was among the best in the world, probably one of the top three based on my results. So I was in a similar situation to her in many ways, and I definitely understand; I know the pitfalls, and the hype that you can get caught up in,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Moving alone across the world as a child to dedicate himself to tennis taught Lavie as much about what not to do as it did about how to succeed.<\/p>\n
Turning to coaching in his 20s, the now 34-year-old went on to create the Lavie Tennis Academy seven years ago, so that Kiwis could experience a world-class coaching and training environment without having to leave the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI moved overseas because there was nothing here for me. But I don\u2019t think we should be sending 11-year-olds away. At Lavie Academy, we want to bridge that gap a little and support players until they are mature enough to base themselves overseas,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Tatiana \u2013 a Year 8 student at Cobham Intermediate in Christchurch \u2013 trains at Te Kura Hagley Park Tennis Club and travels to Auckland regularly to train at Lavie Academy, too.<\/p>\n
Following in the footsteps of her 16-year-old brother Alvin Na \u2013 the No 1 tennis player for his age in New Zealand \u2013 it\u2019s not an altogether unfamiliar life for Tatiana so far.<\/p>\n
She says her brother\u2019s tennis prowess motivates her to lift her game: \u201cIt makes me work harder \u2013 trying to get on his level.\u201d She also takes inspiration from her favourite tennis players, Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz.<\/p>\n
Na isn\u2019t sure where she gets her athleticism from, saying her parents, Neville and Lili Na, weren\u2019t athletes before they moved to New Zealand from China as young adults. <\/p>\n
And they certainly didn\u2019t have tennis aspirations for their children, sending them along to the local tennis club around the corner simply because of its proximity.<\/p>\n
Na began playing tennis at the age of four, tagging along with her older brother \u201cjust for fun\u201d. She started to take it more seriously around seven, while also doing rhythmic gymnastics for six years, a sport Lavie says proved to be an ideal preparation for tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer co-ordination and timing is really incredible. I think rhythmic gymnastics is probably one of the best sports for a tennis player to do when they\u2019re young,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Both sports require high training volumes, so Na had to choose between the two, her love for tennis winning out. Her passion for the sport is easy to spot, Lavie says, especially the way she studies games intently whenever she gets the chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we were in Europe, she\u2019d watch the other girls play and really focus on it,\u201d he says. \u201cShe has a phone, but I\u2019ve never seen her use it. She\u2019s very driven in what she wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tatiana could be playing her first junior Grand Slam in a couple of years, says her coach. Photo \/ Tennis Australia<\/p>\n
Despite grounds for optimism, Lavie knows there are significant challenges ahead \u2013 not least, securing funds for such a high-cost endeavour.<\/p>\n
\u201cComing from New Zealand, the biggest challenge is still the financial aspect \u2013 trying to find people and companies that want to get behind a project like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lavie has seen a number of New Zealand-born players end up representing other countries simply because they offered so much more. He is grateful to those who have already got behind Na, including Tennis New Zealand, entrepreneur and businessman Nick Mowbray, and Manuka Doctor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a few Kiwi players in the past that we\u2019ve lost to other countries because people haven\u2019t backed them enough. I understand it\u2019s a risk to back a 12-year-old, but the nature of tennis is that if you don\u2019t do it at a young age, it\u2019s too late later on,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
As well as trying to ensure top players can fly the flag for New Zealand, Lavie is conscious of finding the right balance between pushing his players and not burning them out \u2013 finding the fine line between the two enables long-term success.<\/p>\n
Tennis careers start young and Lavie predicts Na will play her first junior Grand Slam by the age of 14 or 15. He sees her next few years as transitional ones, keeping New Zealand as her base, peppered with frequent trips overseas and potentially switching to online schooling.<\/p>\n
In time, he envisages she will need to be based in the Northern Hemisphere like all top players. But for now, he\u2019s convinced the best way for her to achieve her goals is by having \u201cthe best of both worlds\u201d \u2013 here in New Zealand with her family and in Europe with the world\u2019s best players and coaches.<\/p>\n
It helps that Na is \u201cincredibly intrinsically motivated and knows exactly what she wants,\u201d Lavie points out. At the recent IMG Future Stars event in Greece, the 24 invited players from around the world were interviewed in front of an audience and a camera.<\/p>\n
When asked for her ultimate goal, Na didn\u2019t miss a beat: \u201cI want to win Wimbledon\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
Whatever the future holds, Tatiana Na is a name to watch.<\/p>\n