Sophia Phuong Anh: I am lucky to have my family support me in playing sports

I still have a lot to learn.

In 2018, the organizers of the Ho Chi Minh City Tennis Championship were surprised when a girl in grade 4 picked up a racket and competed on the court. At the end of the tournament, the young girl won the women's singles in her age group. That was Sophia Phuong Anh.

After 6 years, Sophia Phuong Anh is now 16 years old but professionals know her more as a pickleball player. Sophia Phuong Anh once shared that her passion is still tennis and initially she got acquainted with the new sport of pickleball as a hobby. However, the more she plays and competes, the more addicted she becomes.

“I suffered a shoulder injury while practicing and competing in tennis, so I switched to pickleball. I have only been practicing this sport for a year. My feeling is that the environment and the people who play pickleball are all fun, civilized, and very lively. Now, wherever you go, you will see people playing and competing in this sport. Everyone is friendly and easy to communicate with.

This is an easy-to-learn sport, easy to catch up with, not too difficult, so in a short time, everyone can get used to it. I have made friends from this sport. However, as an athlete, for me, everything always requires basic techniques and I always learn and accumulate more through training and competition," Sophia Phuong Anh expressed.

Not only coming to pickleball as a temporary hobby, Sophia Phuong Anh once shared that she has the goal of becoming a professional athlete in this sport. For that reason, the young tennis player herself focuses on building plans for herself to conquer pickleball. That is the reason, she is given maximum conditions to attend training programs to improve her pickleball skills.

“Right now, I am studying in the US. I have to make sure to distribute the most suitable study and training schedule. I study at home online and follow the daily training schedule, regular competition schedule for domestic and international tournaments, I have my own schedule to decide. I still focus on studying, do not be distracted and always complete the best professional training plan from the coach...”, Sophia Phuong Anh shared.

Family is the support

Sophia Phuong Anh once shared that she was very lucky to have her family support her in pursuing professional sports. That is one of the premises for this tennis player to be confident in training and competing in high-performance sports. Sophia Phuong Anh's mother - Ms. Thu Phuong said that the family's support is to help her have the best health.

That's why Sophia Phuong Anh inherited her sports habits and passion from her father. Sophia Phuong Anh's father is a tennis lover and competitive tennis player. Therefore, Sophia Phuong Anh's guidance to tennis comes from her father and when she goes to the court, her father always guides her to be the most confident. One of the touching images that many people pay attention to is when Sophia Phuong Anh won on the pickleball court at the 2024 Asian Pickleball Open, both her father and mother were present on the court, hugging and congratulating their child in their own happiness.

“I feel lucky to have the support and companionship of my family to pursue a sports career. Success in sports cannot be achieved quickly, it takes time. In any decision, tournament, or training, my family members always accompany me. Therefore, I feel secure to focus on training and competing...”, Sophia Phuong Anh added.

Sports are always fun

Sports are about achievement. For any athlete, when there is a competition result, it is a mark of self. Sophia Phuong Anh said that when switching to pickleball, she tried her best. She said that her most memorable championship was the Gold Medal at the 2024 WPC Series International Pickleball Tournament held in April 2024. Because, that was the first time this player won a championship in a pickleball tournament.

“I also have a memorable memory when competing in the VVP Tour 2024 held in Hanoi in June 2024. I participated in six events of the tournament. Therefore, I had to compete continuously so I understand what it feels like to have to try my best. Luckily, I also had results in the tournament.”

As an active person, representing the movement of a young face, Sophia Phuong Anh is not bound by any barriers. In addition to the time spent on sports, she once said that she also has her own hobbies such as music production and graphic design. The joy of graphic design also inspires Sophia Phuong Anh to be more confident in life. That is why many images of Sophia Phuong Anh appearing on social networks are designed by this tennis player herself.

“In addition to pickleball and tennis, I also play some other sports such as badminton, basketball, and swimming,” Sophia Phuong Anh added. In fact, pickleball is still a new sport in Vietnam but has been welcomed by society with a positive movement. Above all, people who practice and play it feel comfortable. Therefore, Sophia Phuong Anh believes that she feels absolutely no pressure when switching to this sport. Because sports always require freedom and maintaining the most comfortable spirit.

This tennis player said that with pickleball, whether playing individual or doubles, you must have the utmost concentration because this is a sport that requires physical strength. That is why, even at the age of 16, Sophia Phuong Anh has achieved many achievements at the international level, so many people in the sport respect her. "I had a great opportunity to compete in pickleball with some of the world's top athletes and from there I learned more experience for myself," Sophia Phuong Anh shared.

This year, the Vietnamese sports industry will organize the first national tournament for pickleball, the 2024 National Club Championship. In 2025, the management plans to organize about 10 tournaments for pickleball. If nothing changes, Sophia Phuong Anh will also prepare to participate in the national tournament this year.

Coach Truong Quang Vu shared that at this time, pickleball has many young faces practicing and competing effectively, and Sophia Phuong Anh is one of the promising players.

“At the moment, pickleball is very potential, many international schools have started to form scholarships for athletes of this sport. Therefore, my goal is to practice seriously, compete to get high scores to enter university in the future. I will strive to get the best results in both studying and competing in sports”, Sophia Phuong Anh added.