She Runs The Game – Natalee Nahoom

Can you share with us a memorable moment or achievement in your tennis career? 

When I was 12 years old my parents moved my sister and I to Israel. I was devastated that I couldn’t continue to play netball, so my father took me to the Tennis Centre in Yafo and I started playing tennis instead. I fell in love with tennis the first time I hit the ball.

Unfortunately, due to an injury, I stopped playing at the age of 15.

I took up tennis again in my 30’s and promised myself that one day, I would be part of the Maccabiah Games. It took me 10 years but finally in 2022, I participated in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

I was part of an amazing team of tennis players from Australia and was also the Team Manager for the Tennis Masters.

My doubles partner and I lost in the semi-finals to a brother/sister duo from Brazil, which was hard to accept but they were the better team on the day and honestly just playing at that level was an amazing experience.

Overall, being a part of the Australian delegation at the Maccabiah games together with over 10,000 participants singing the Hatikva would definitely be the highlight of my tennis journey.

What challenges have you faced in your involvement in tennis and how did you overcome them?

Getting involved with tennis has never been too challenging, I have been very welcomed and always feel like there is a lot to give to the sport and the satisfaction of playing is the reward. The only thing I have found a little challenging is that there are not enough women involved in tennis at the club. We would love to see more and more women join us at Maccabi. How do I overcome this challenge? I just keep putting the word out there, meeting new tennis ‘lovers’ and telling them about the club.

How do you stay motivated and focused on your goals in tennis?

I am always up for a game of tennis, and I play as much as I can, so I’m always motivated. I do, however, need to focus on another goal (which is part of any sport); keeping my body fit and injury-free. Our minds may stay young forever, but our bodies tell us otherwise and I have to focus on making sure I am warmed up before a game and looking after my body during a game and after in recovery.

Any tips for success and advice for young women looking to get involved in tennis?

The first thing you should do is join a club (Maccabi of course 😀), where you can meet people you can start hitting with, play some social tennis competitions, and then try Pennant competitions which are challenging and keep you very motivated.

There are so many different options; you can play Cardio Tennis, join group coaching, have private coaching, and join Facebook groups where you will always find someone who wants to have a hit. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced player, we are very lucky to have tennis courts everywhere and with so many different ways to play. The key is not to be afraid if you don’t know how to play. Just like anything in life, you start at the beginning, you practice, you get better, you become your best and I can guarantee you will fall in love with this sport – and tennis, unlike many other sports, can still be played when you’re in your 80’s. I have proof of it – I have played against women in their 80’s and they are tough opponents!

How do you see the role of women in sport evolving in the future?

Women are definitely becoming more and more involved in sport, not just playing sport but also in coaching roles, umpiring, commentating, educational roles, health and well-being roles, organisational roles, sports management, sports science, allied health and more – there are so many ways you can become involved in sport. You can see how over the years more women have started studying sport management, sport science, allied health and other disciplines, and how more sporting organisations are looking for women to become involved.

The media is also covering more women’s sport which gives people more access to watch these women play and this in turn, gives the women in sport more power and encourages the younger generation of girls to play sport and become more involved in sport.

What do you hope people take away from this online women’s campaign?

Women should always empower one another; we should always have each other’s back. We all go through the emotions, we all deal with a lot of the same problems, we all put our children first and forget to make time for ourselves. Life can be busy, it can be overwhelming, but it is imperative that you take just a small amount of time to yourself, and sport can do that for you. Even a brisk walk alone or with a friend can clear your head, let you relax, release some stress, and give you that pick-me-up you need. Get involved with sport, get your friends involved, or just go and meet new ones – that’s what I hope people will take away from this campaign.