This time last year, Taylah Preston was sitting on her couch watching the Australian Open on TV. On Tuesday, she made her main-draw debut at a Grand Slam tournament.
Preston had always dreamed of playing at the Australian Open and clearly remembers the moment, on the practice courts in December, when her coach told her she had been given a wildcard into the first grand slam of the year.
“We all cried a little bit,” she said.
“My mom was there with me too, so it was really nice that she was there when I heard the news.”
She received a wild card alongside one of the players she admired as a child, Caroline Wozniacki.
Preston faced Elina Svitolina in the first round, with No. 19 seed Svitolina winning 6-2, 6-2.
Despite his defeat, Preston showed impressive signs, particularly with his forehand.
Taylah Preston lost to Elina Svitolina in the first round of the Australian Open. (AAP: James Ross)
And her Australian Open campaign isn’t over yet, as she won her first-round doubles match with fellow Australian Arina Rodionova.
At just 18 years old, Preston is a rising star in Australian tennis.
His ranking dropped from 836 to a career-best 202 in 2023.
Then in December, she won the Junior Female Athlete of the Year award for the third consecutive year at the Australian Tennis Awards, becoming the second player to do so since Ash Barty.
Growing up in Perth, Preston started playing at just four years old, when coaches saw his potential.
Her junior career was interrupted by COVID-19, and it wasn’t until 2022 that she was able to experience her first full year on the junior circuit.
“I definitely started playing juniors a lot later than a lot of other girls,” she said.
But Preston didn’t let that stop her, becoming the first Australian since Barty to reach the top 10 in the world junior rankings.
Preston’s growing talent was recognised when she was invited to be the orange girl for the Australian team at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow.
She enjoyed learning from captain Alicia Molik because of her positive energy, insight and knowledge, but she also appreciated the opportunity to spend time with her teammates.
“I learned a lot. I just absorbed everything that everyone told me,” she said.
“All the girls were really nice and everyone made me feel like I was really part of the team.”
She has now moved on to the professional circuit, winning four ITF singles titles, including on home soil in Perth last year.
“My little cousins made signs. It was really cool to be able to play in front of them, because we don’t get to play in front of our friends very often and my family doesn’t even travel with me,” Preston said.
Preston pictured with the Daphne Akhurst statue at Melbourne Park. The Australian Open women’s singles trophy is named after Akhurst. (ABC/Siren Sport: Megan Brewer)
It’s difficult for players outside the top 100 to make a living on the tour, and women still earn less money than men outside the Grand Slams, and Preston is feeling the pressure.
“Obviously tennis is quite expensive, between travel, flights, accommodation, food and everything else, even the top-ups add up,” she said.
Preston credits her mother for her administrative help, booking all her flights and accommodation so she could focus on tennis. Support not all female athletes can count on.
Before the Australian Open, Preston had pushed former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia to three sets at the Adelaide International, and she made an impressive comeback against Linda Fruhvirtova at the Kooyong Classic to win in three sets.
Preston appears to be a player who is trying to progress step by step in her career.
His goal for 2024 is to increase his ranking to around 120 or 150, and to play all four Grand Slam tournaments.
One thing is for sure, despite Tuesday’s singles loss, this is just the beginning for Taylah Preston.
ABC Sport partners with Sport Siren to improve coverage of Australian women in sport.
Kate Robinson loves tennis and has participated in Change Our Game’s Women in Sport outreach program. She is also the co-creator of the Being Biracial podcast.
