Photography: Selina Nunn
Like many 12-year-olds, Tatiana Na loves her family, friends, PE and tech classes at school, drawing, cartoons and playing with the spoodle puppies bred by her parents. But on the tennis court, the shy Christchurch tween transforms into a determined young power player.
Her head coach Sebastian Lavie says she’s among the top five girls in the world for her age and “almost like a professional athlete in the sense of being super-driven and knowing what she wants”.
Famed French coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who has mentored legends like Serena Williams, enthuses, “I don’t remember seeing a player that young hitting the ball that well.”
Meanwhile, dad Neville says that no matter how nervous Tatiana might be before games, “put her on court and she becomes a different person. She was born with a spirit to fight.”
Indeed, Tatiana isn’t your average Kiwi kid. While watching TV, she diligently massages her muscles with a foam roller, then tracks her sleep at night to make sure she’s getting enough rest. Add 10 to 12 hours of on-court training each week, five to eight hours of cardio, and upcoming games in Australia, Germany, Austria and the US, and it’s clear she’s an elite athlete in the making.
A rising star on the court
Although neither Neville nor Tatiana’s mum Lili are tennis players, they introduced her and her brother Alvin, 16, to the game when they were four and five, respectively. Revealing a natural talent, both have progressed to become champions, topping their age groups and representing Aotearoa internationally.
In April, Tatiana – accompanied by her dad and Sebastian – jetted off to compete in her first full European tour. In Athens, she won five of her six matches, followed by a standout performance in the Greek city of Marathon, where she reached the final in an under-15 event. Finishing her trip in France, she defeated Europe’s number-one player to become the 2026 Tennis Europe 12-and-under champion.
“My strengths are being aggressive by hitting it hard and hitting clean winners,” says Tatiana, who gets up at 5.30am for training before school twice a week.
“When I play better, I get more motivated – then if I play worse, I’ll be like, ‘Oh, my God!’”
Chasing a Grand Slam dream
With her goal to compete in a Junior Grand Slam by 15, transition to the pro circuit at 16 or 17, then ultimately win Wimbledon, her coach Sebastian says what puts this within reach is Tatiana’s “incredible timing on the ball thanks to her background in rhythmic gymnastics”.
He explains, “That sport gave her a rare ability to stay balanced and produce huge shots while on the run or out of position. What also stands out is how fearless she is.
“She has the ability to rise to any challenge, regardless of who’s on the other side of the net. She believes she belongs there, and that type of confidence and competitiveness is something you only see
in champions.”
Along with Sebastian and his team at Lavie Tennis Academy in Auckland, plus Patrick, Tatiana is supported by coaches at Tennis Canterbury, Hagley Park Tennis Club and Meredith Brothers Tennis Academy.
The biggest challenge for the young star is making sure there’s enough financial support to keep her playing at the top level.
“We have to sacrifice a lot of things,” admits Neville, adding that’s why they started breeding spoodles.
“Lili loves dogs and we realised we can also raise a little bit of money for the kids. If we sell one puppy, the kids can do one tournament in New Zealand. If I sell two puppies, we can afford to send the kids to an overseas tournament!”
The team behind the champion
Along with the funds her family raises, Tatiana receives financial support through Patrick’s exclusive Mouratoglou Academy – one of only 10 players in the world to do so. She’s also been offered representation with global sports managers IMG.
Sebastian explains this is extremely important because “we’re constantly looking for supporters”.
Of course, with two tennis aces in the family, comparisons with the Williams sisters are inevitable, but Sebastian insists there isn’t the same extreme pressure Venus and Serena faced.
Sebastian says, “Lili and Neville are very hands-on when it comes to supporting their kids, and have done a really good job of keeping Tatiana a joyful young girl, but they trust the coaches
to do the coaching.”
And when it comes to seeing his daughter play, Neville says her family’s presence courtside never fazes Tatiana.
“A lot of kids, including Alvin, don’t like their parents watching, probably because it’s too much pressure, but Tatiana is different. Once she’s on the court, she’s 100% focusing on the game. She says she doesn’t really care what I’m doing. “Normally, I sit there really quiet. I’m still quite nervous when I’m watching her play, but I enjoy it because her playing style is so good.”
Meanwhile, asked what the kids at school think of her winning 16 out of her 18 games in her European tour, Tatiana shrugs and smiles, “They were just like, ‘Good job!’”
