HOW many people can say that tennis is a bigger part of their DNA than Lee-Anne Lingo?
The daughter of two tennis players is now coaching the sport after literally growing up on the courts, playing competitively and going on to marry a tennis player.
Most players cut down or even cut out competing altogether when they start coaching, but Lingo has not missed a tournament since she first put on the hat just over a year ago.
The 32-year-old has not just been competing, she captured a Triple Crown in the Tranquility Open last month, after winning two titles apiece three times in her first season of competition since 2011.
And with national champion Jordane Dookie now studying in the United States, Lingo has returned to the top of the top of the rankings.
The all-court player, who reached a career-high #703 in the world in juniors almost exactly 15 years ago, started coaching by accident as her father Neil Lingo, head coach of the Patrons Tennis Academy for over two decades, asked her for help when he ended up in a cask because of injury early last season.
Lee-Anne never intended to follow the path of her parents and “didn’t think I would enjoy it”, but the temporary position has become permanent and she is excited to work with “so many talented youngsters” on a daily basis.
However, the fact that “Patrons” have been squatting since the United States Embassy occupied their previous base at Country Club, Maraval, in 2021, continues to make life very difficult for everyone involved– parents, students, coaches– and the former national champ hopes that they will find a new home soon.
“Patrons” is by far the biggest tennis academy in the country with over 100 students, but this figure was doubled when they were in Maraval.
They financed and refurbished the four (of the seven) courts at the Eddie Taylor Public Courts, St Clair, which were unfit for play, and have been using those seven days a week when they arrive in time to pay and book them.
A decade ago, tennis was the farthest thing from Lee-Anne’s mind as she had a high-profile job with Queen’s Park Cricket Club, after completing studies in design in the United States.
But that did not last too long as the multiple Fed Cup player got engaged to Andrew Thornton and moved to his home country of Barbados.
Although her husband remained heavily involved in tennis as a respected national player and one of the leading coaches in the country, Lee-Anne was now working for AA Laquis and seemed to be moving further and further away from the sport.
And she could not have been any further when she gave birth to her son in late 2022.
But Lathan was not more than a few months old when Thornton, who was actually born here to Trinidadian parents, decided to accept Neil’s offer to spearhead “Patrons” elite-player programme.
The 38-year-old travelled back and forth for close to a year, until they made the decision to say goodbye to Barbados at the end of 2023.
Lee-Anne has been back and forth since she began training in the United States at the age of 11 in 2003, but it seems like she is finally back home for good.
Her story began in October 1992, and she was only a few months ago when Neil and her mother Lindy Ann Farrier, a former respective competitive player, started taking her to UWI courts, situated a few minutes from the place they stayed at the time in St Augustine.
She was not much more than two years old when Neil started teaching Lee-Anne to play tennis and she has gone on to become one of this country’s leading female players of this century.
The 2011 national and “Tranquil” champ last played Fed Cup (now known as Billie Jean King Cup) 12 years ago, but she is not opposed to making a fifth appearance in the world’s premier female team competition in August.
But her son Lathan, who is not that interested in the sport as yet, and her “fulfilling” job, are her priorities.
Raleigh Mischke
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