Grand Slam Gator: Woolcock Boosted by Recent Australian Open Experience
Saturday, February 6, 2016 | Women's Tennis
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Playing in a grand slam tournament is the dream of most young tennis players.
What about a grand slam event in your home country?
For Gators junior Belinda Woolcock, that dream became reality last month.
With final exams over in December, Woolcock traveled home to Australia where the first major event of the year in tennis would be played in just a few weeks.
For her, an opportunity to compete in one of the biggest tournaments of the year loomed perhaps just around the corner.
"When I went back home I wasn't sure of the opportunity," Woolcock said. "I knew it could come up but it wasn't until the end of December that I knew I had gotten a wildcard to play in the event."
When she got the call, Woolcock was ecstatic. A dream was about to come true.
Once she qualified, Woolcock played in the Australian Open women's doubles event with Ellen Perez. The duo fell in the first round to fellow Aussies Jessica Moore and Storm Sanders (6-4, 6-2).
Still, despite her short stay in the tournament, the experience and opportunity will remain a favorite memory of Woolcock's..
"I was able to share the locker room with all the top players in the world, so just being around them was amazing," she said. "I saw how they prepare for matches and I was amazed to see how humble a lot of them were."
Woolcock is coming off a very impressive fall season, so earning a wildcard to play at the Australian Open was no surprise to those who know her game as of late.
At the beginning of fall preseason, Woolcock was ranked No. 32. Fast forward to the first rankings of the spring season, she sits at No. 3 currently.
But that's not enough for her.
"I have a lot of goals I've set for myself this semester," she said. "I don't want to stop at No. 3, I want to get to No. 1."
To be No. 1 you have to be performing at an elite level and Woolcock is certainly close.
Head coach Roland Thornqvist attributes her improved performance to strides she has made in the mental department.
"She can handle making errors now, she analyzes them and gets right back on the horse," Thornqvist said. "It's more, I think, from a confidence and mental game than anything else that has allowed her to be third in the country in singles."
A majority of tennis players will tell you how important the mental aspect is and Woolcock also believes, like her coach, the improvement on her mental game has been the biggest difference so far.
Playing in the Australian Open further developed her mental approach.
"I was able to train with some of the top 50 players in the world," said Woolcock. "Knowing that I could keep up and play some really good points against them made me feel really confident."
The No. 3-ranked Gators, coming off an impressive win at Florida State, currently have two other players along with Woolcock in the top 25 in singles rankings.
Expectations are high.
"I think we are so strong throughout the whole team," Woolcock said. "We play amazing singles and doubles and everyone's been bringing a good attitude, energy and positivity."
With only one senior on the squad, the veteran juniors will have to assume some leadership responsibilities and for Woolcock, she's hoping to have an influence with her presence and composure.
The Gators host No. 4 Southern Cal on Sunday. They could use Woolcock's new-found confidence to be contagious.
