By Brenden Fisher

In the ever-growing and competitive sport that is tennis, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish yourself and earn recognition on a national level. Gwyneth Britton, however, has flourished in making herself recognizable both on and off the court from a very young age.

Born in Long Beach and now residing in Whittier, California, Gwyneth, 11,  has been a Southern California resident her entire life. Playing in tournaments throughout SoCal, she currently trains at the Southern California Tennis Academy in Long Beach in addition to practicing with her father, Anthony.

Gwyneth’s love of tennis has been rooted in her for as long as she can remember, with her first time setting foot on a court to compete coming at a remarkably young age. “I started playing tennis when I was about two or three years old and then I played my first tournament at four years old,” Britton shared. “From then on I loved it. Now, it’s my favorite thing in the entire world.”

Gwyneth, a past Kramer Future Champions Scholarship Grant recipient, finds herself in an elite group. In the recruiting class of 2030, the young phenom is ranked fourth in the state of California and eleventh nationally. Already a five-star, blue chip prospect, Gwyneth has built an impressive resume for herself, winning tournaments such as the L3 Doubles in Anaheim, L4 Verdieck Cup and most recently the L4 JP Yamasaki tournament in Anaheim. Britton has also gained recognition as a finalist in multiple singles and doubles tournaments, was awarded the MVP of the L4 Verdieck Cup and was presented with the Sportsmanship Award at the L4 Los Caballeros tournament.

“The SCTA Foundation is very proud of Gwyneth because her work ethic is exceptional on and off the tennis court,” said Linda Milan, the Executive Director of the Southern California Tennis Association Foundation. “She loves the sport of tennis and has been improving steadily through each age group. We can’t wait to see how she rises through the ranks.”

It happened to be Gwyneth’s talent on the court that led her to discovering another passion off of it–modeling. At just six years old, Gwyneth was contacted by the USTA to participate in a shoot for USTA’s Net Generation program. “They used the photos for everything. I saw myself in advertisements, catalogs and brochures for the USTA, which was really cool,” said Gwyneth. This initial gig led Gwyneth to find another interest outside of tennis, and one that has provided her the opportunity to be recognized by a variety of industry leading brands. As she still models currently, Gwyneth most recently partnered with Lucky In Love Kids, a clothing brand built on empowering young athletes that love fashion and sports. Britton has also modeled for companies such as Nike, Air Jordan, Abercrombie and Athleta and serves as a brand ambassador for Wilson Tennis.

“I really love modeling because it’s another fun thing to do besides tennis that helps save money for my future. My favorite shoot thus far has probably been Abercrombie because everyone was super nice. In the future, I’d like to work with a shoe brand like Asics or a brand that has really cool, athletic shoes.”

While Gwyneth is the sole tennis player of the Britton household, she is not the only athlete, and at that, not the only world-class athlete. Gwyneth’s father, Anthony, is a Jiu Jitsu world champion and multiple time national champion of a variety of martial arts. Born and raised in Canada, Anthony represented his country on the national level as a member of both Team Canada Jujitsu and Team Canada Wushu. In addition to being a former professional MMA fighter, Anthony’s resume includes black belts in Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, Shorin Ryu Karate, Pankration and Kempo. A sensei and Head Muay Thai instructor, Anthony currently works as a doctor of chiropractic, operating his own practice in Whittier.

Anthony’s competitive spirit and athletic background has been vital to the development of Gwyneth’s tennis skills. His career as a sensei has not only been vital in showing his daughter valuable lessons on discipline, competition and respect, but have also been instrumental in the transition he made from teaching martial arts to learning and now coaching her in tennis. As Gwyneth’s skill advanced and she became more comfortable being in front of a camera, the Britton’s launched their very own YouTube channel, “That Tennis Kid Show.” Beginning in early 2021, the Britton’s now have produced 34 videos documenting Gwyneth’s life on and off the court. “We started the YouTube channel to help market her brand and document Gwyneth’s journey through tennis while providing a glimpse into the world of competitive junior tennis in Southern California,” stated Anthony.

Relating to tennis, you can find videos ranging in topics highlighting different equipment she uses, showing clips of practices, providing a look into different types of junior tennis the USTA offers her, how she trains, vlogs on her daily life, and recaps on tournaments she plays in all across the United States. While primarily touching on tennis, these videos also highlight the joys of being a kid, documenting activities such as going to a theme park with friends and spending time at home with loved ones.

As Gwyneth looks to the future, she has aspirations to play at the highest level with and against some of the most influential players of this era.

“My short term goal is to win at least a couple matches at Winter Nationals, while my long term goal is to become a professional tennis player and play on the tour. I hope to someday play in the Olympics as well as travel to New York to play the US Open. I would love to play against Coco Gauff and all the other professional players that have inspired me to be my best.”

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Special thanks to USTA Southern California and contributing editor Brenden Fisher

Story reposted from @USTASoCal (HERE)