By William Moncrieff, Communications Coordinator
Anna McBride continues her fantastic run of tennis, taking the title at the Australian Open (AO) 2025 Intellectual Disability Championships (24-26 January).
It’s the third time that the Australian Open has hosted the annual Intellectual Disability (ID) Championships and Deaf Championships, providing opportunities for players from, “diverse backgrounds to compete at an international level”.
“The Australian Open is my favorite event, the stuff we get access to and the way we are treated is really good”, said Anna.
Furthermore, the Scot has an unbeaten singles record in Melbourne.
“I’ve won the singles three times in a row and the doubles twice before. I came second this time.”
“For me, winning feels incredible, because to win once is an achievement but to win three times is really cool.”
Anna believes that one of the possible reasons for her continued success at the Australian Open is down to the standards of play. “I love playing against the best players because you want to compare yourself against the best. It’s all the top players in the world, there are no easy matches.”
Performing against world class players is not an easy feat. Anna explained how it took her a couple of matches to get into the tournament. “The first match I was a little bit nervous. I played my way into the event and by the time I played the final I felt really good.”
However, coming up against a familiar face in the final assured her that she had the ability to make it three in a row: “I played a French girl called Eva Blanc in the final, I played her in September, I won but it was a 3 set match, but this time I won 6-1 6-1, so I was super happy about that.”
Despite the intensity of the event, there was still time in Melbourne to connect with friends, including teammate and Young Persons’ Sport Panel member, Aidan Moody.
Anna said: “Me and Aidan had a great time in Australia. We are really good friends.”
“I just love the experience we get, and to win the whole thing feels incredible.”
Along with spending time with friends, accomplishing three in a row in front of family will be a fond memory for Anna, who commented, “I love it. Obviously they want the best for me, they’re always happy when I do well, they are really supportive of me. Obviously we have a great time after tennis, we try not to make it all about tennis.”
Moving forward, Anna is looking at how she can continue to progress and perform at the highest level, commenting that she would, “want to keep playing in the GB set up.”
She is also eager to continue her winning streak in Australia: “I would love to play in the Australian Open next year if I get invited back. It’s really good fun, I just love it really.”
If you would like to find your passion for sport, contact your Regional Development Manager. Alternatively, to take part in a range of sports and activities in one location, register for one of Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) Parasport Festivals.
To keep up-to-date with all things disability sport across Scotland, follow Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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