Carson Branstine’s story is the kind that inspires books and screenplays. Of course, her cousin is World Series Baseball champion Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and she won two junior Grand Slam doubles titles with Bianca Andreescu in 2017 at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. -Garros, but, above all, his tennis journey is made of perseverance, dynamism, a feeling of belonging and motivating victories, both on and off the court.
Branstine was born and raised in California, but she has dual citizenship thanks to her mother who is Canadian. She represented the United States in the junior ranks, but was always drawn to the idea of playing for Canada. The change began in 2016 at an ITF tournament in Rancho Sante Fe, where she earned her first WTA ranking points after beating Canadian Carol Zhao in the qualifying draw. She and her mother met the Tennis Canada coach who was traveling with Zhao, and he convinced them to visit the National Tennis Center (NTC) in Montreal. The rest is history.
“I immediately felt like it was home. For the first time, I really felt like I belonged somewhere, and it was so natural for me to want to go there that I said, you know what, I’m going to do it. I’m Canadian, I want to play for Canada, I want to do something that I’m proud of. It made a huge difference because, without Tennis Canada, I wouldn’t be where I am today. »
– Carson Branstine
After his time at CNT, Branstine chose to go the NCAA route and found another home for tennis at Texas A&M University. She had a blast winning three SEC (Southeastern Conference) titles and a historic NCAA championship for the university in the spring of 2024 alongside fellow teammate Mia Kupres. While at school, she earned a degree in ethics and law and gave herself the opportunity to take the law school admissions test and pursue further studies if she wished. She also earned a double minor in psychology and sports management. The heavy course load as a student-athlete is a testament to her ambition and desire to take full advantage of the opportunity tennis afforded her.
Yet Branstine’s path has been anything but easy. In addition to facing challenges in her personal life, she also suffered stress injuries, and required surgery on both her hips and knees, which robbed her of five important years in her development. his tennis. Through it all, she leaned on her support group, who made her feel understood, who cared about her well-being, and who appreciated her for the person she was. His support team is always there. Adversity has only strengthened her resolve and she’s certainly not ready to turn her back on the sport that has given her so much, that has become such a big part of her identity, and that has made her the person that she has become.
“I had every reason to give up tennis given my injuries and setbacks, but I didn’t want to,” Branstine explained. I don’t put limits on myself, I believe I can compete and beat any player in the world. I think my tennis is there, I know I have the talent and I know I’m going to work for it. I want to give myself the chance to realize my dreams in this sport that I have practiced all my life. »
DONATE: Team up with Bianca Andreescu to create more opportunities for women and girls in tennis
With her health issues finally behind her, the 24-year-old focused on her professional career, which took off in 2024 thanks to three ITF Women’s World Tour titles, including her biggest win to date at the W75 tournament in Sumter, South Carolina this spring. She won 43 of the 58 singles matches she played and reached 252e world rank, the best ranking of his career.
It’s not lost on Branstine that she is part of the growing women’s movement in sports. She is full of admiration for her colleagues and female athletes and is particularly happy that tennis allows women and girls to flourish.
“The sacrifice of being a woman in sport takes incredible courage,” Branstine said. If you are strong and you work hard, it doesn’t matter where you come from or what gender you are, you can achieve it. I think tennis is the best illustration of that because the schedule is crazy. It’s not a joke, but we do it. Just seeing the physical and mental strength of these women fills me with emotion. Every year the competition gets stronger and stronger. The depth, level of play, fitness and dedication to our craft continues to increase. It’s really special to be a part of it. It’s something that I’m proud of and that I love talking about, and I just hope that it can reach a lot of young women and show them that anything is possible. »
You can make a difference for players like Carson Branstine and ensure that victory is within THEM’s reach by contributing to Games initiatives. Set. Tennis Canada Equity Foundations that aim to advance equity for women and girls at all levels of the tennis ecosystem in Canada.
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