For many students, combining their studies with a part-time job is already a challenge, but Jolien Geels (18) takes it even further. In addition to her part-time job and her economics and business economics teacher training, she works day in and day out towards her dream: a career as a professional tennis player.
Internship or tournament
Jolien is from Oldenzaal, but four days a week she can be found in Halle, Germany, where she trains at the Breakpointbase tennis academy. “I train twice a day and do strength training in the evenings. Between training sessions, I have to study and sometimes work to finance my career. The days are long and I have little free time, but I don’t mind because tennis is my greatest passion, and I get to do it every day.”
Besides tennis, Jolien is studying to become an economics and business economics teacher at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences via distance learning. “I’m good at the subject matter, but the internships and exams can be challenging, especially when they coincide with tournaments. It’s a lot of puzzling and consulting.” Jolien sees her studies as a plan B. “If tennis doesn’t work out the way I’d like, at least I have some security. I don’t want to be 25 without a diploma and have to start all over again.”
Winning from the boys
Jolien never expected to be so involved in tennis now. “I actually started with soccer. I started playing tennis when I was eight. First just recreationally at the tennis club in Oldenzaal, later I joined a talent group. As a ten-year-old girl, I trained among fourteen-year-old boys. We finally had a tournament, and I won it. That’s when I thought: wow, things are really going well now.” On the court, Jolien is known for her hard forehand and her unpredictability. “I vary a lot. Sometimes I play very attacking, sometimes with high balls or slices. You don’t see that as often with women.”
Flag bearer for the Netherlands
Her highlight so far was her participation in the FISU World University Games. Jolien was allowed to carry the Dutch flag during the opening ceremony. “You’re standing in a stadium with 35,000 people and millions of viewers online. It was truly one of the most special moments of my life. A memory I’ll always carry with me.”
Jolien also played several matches at FISU. In the consolation round, she won her first match against South Africa, a match that was spread over two days due to a rain delay. “In the decisive super tiebreak, my opponent was 8-5 up. Then I made an almost impossible comeback. I scored five points in a row, which resulted in my first win in which I represented the Netherlands. Then came a victory against Colombia, but unfortunately, in the quarterfinals, I was defeated by Korea.”
Setbacks and perseverance
Jolien hasn’t only experienced highs. Earlier this year, she suffered a knee injury. “My knee was partially dislocated, and several ligaments in my knee were torn. That was really tough. For three weeks, I could barely do anything; I was on crutches.” Mentally, it was a challenge for the driven tennis player. “Your mind wants to, but your body can’t.”
Thanks to intensive rehabilitation and perseverance, she was able to return sooner than expected. “That made my performance this year extra special.” Jolien dreams of competing in a Grand Slam. Whether that’s in five, ten, or fifteen years doesn’t matter to her, as long as she gets closer, step by step.
Text: Kyra Schuurman
Photos: Jasper van Overbeek
