My sporting hero: Heather Watson

 

Originally published on: 05/12/13 00:00

Speaking at the Royal Albert Hall at an event for the tennis charity Give It Your Max, Watson, who is an ambassador for Statoil’s Heroes of Tomorrow initiative, revealed her sporting idol is snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan.

While Tim Henman, a patron of the Give It Your Max charity, unveiled a cardboard cutout of Bjorn Borg, his childhood hero, Watson’s did not have a tennis racket in his hand.

“People might not understand why I picked Ronnie because he is not in the same field of sport as I am,” Watson told tennishead. “Tennis is very physical and you have to use a lot of strength and physical energy but snooker is the complete opposite – you need a lot of mental strength and more precise skill.

“Obviously you need mental strength and skill in both sports but it’s very different. What I like about Ronnie is his personality. He’s a real character; funny and he’s very honest which I like.

“Watching how he goes about his snooker he is so professional he absolutely studies the game and he is always thinking about snooker.

“One thing I can relate to is that he is really close to his dad and goes through everything with his dad.”

Heather Watson is the official ambassador for Statoil’s Heroes of Tomorrow Initiative, which sponsors young talented people across sport, culture and education. The investment by Statoil, Norway’s leading energy company, to British Tennis includes its sponsorship of the Masters Tennis Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall and its funding of leading grassroots tennis charity Give It Your Max (GIYM). GIYM pays for qualified tennis coaches to teach tennis to children aged between 5-10 years old in the state sector.

 

Now get the WORLD’S BEST TENNIS MAGAZINE here