“Best result ever” – Swedish Tennis Association

Swedish juniors Lee Nilsson (Salk) and Nellie Taraba Wallberg (Påvelunds TBK) won the Billie Jean King Cup Junior Finals 2-0 against Brazil after two sets of victories.
This puts Sweden in seventh place out of 16 teams in Spain.
– Of course I set a high goal when we went to win the whole tournament, but this is Sweden’s best result in this tournament, so we are satisfied, says Nellie Daraba Wahlberg.

Junior national team coach Carl Ackert – who coached the girls during the week in Córdoba – is on the same track.
– There have been tough matches, even when the singles was tight against Great Britain in the quarter-finals. We had a chance against Japan where it was a decisive double. Obviously they will want to win, but when it comes down to it, we are the seventh best team in the world at under-16s, where the absolute best players are involved. Either way you can be satisfied with the result, says Karl Ackert.

You’ve been following these girls for a while – what action have they taken?
– Since the participation of Tiana Dian Deng and Lea Nilsson at the Summer Cups six months ago (Isabel Skoog, DK of Stenungsund), confidence in them has increased. Now they go in thinking they can beat all the players. Maturity, in addition to the game of course, is probably the biggest difference. A lot has happened in a short period of time.

The week in Cordoba, Spain brought together 16 of the best teams for girls under 16. Nellie Daraba Wahlberg brings a wealth of experience to her solo venture.
– I am satisfied with the week. It was fun and there were many good matches in a few days. It was very educational to play against the best of my age in this environment. “It’s very developing for my tennis,” says Nellie, who enjoys working in a team environment though.
– It’s always so much fun being with Leah and Diana. We have good chemistry on and off the court. We always support each other regardless of whether things are going good or bad.

Carl Ackert is satisfied with everything about the arrangement.
– Umpires and staff and food, accommodation, transport were all very professional so we could focus fully on tennis. Whatever help we asked for, we got it.

Leah Nilsson, Tiana Dian Deng and Nellie Daraba Wahlberg switched to clay amid a tough court season.
According to Carl Ackerett, change is not a problem.
– It’s not ideal to go back to the gravel when we’re in the hard court season, but the day before we did a practice session. We talked a lot about handling and accepting different situations and conditions, which is what tennis is all about. I think they handled it as well as possible.

For Carl Ackerett, it was mostly about the U13 collection with training linked to the Tennis Europe tournament in Norrkoping. Tiana Tian Deng heads to China and Leah Nilsson and Nellie Daraba Wahlberg have a training period before it’s time for the MATCHi-powered Elitzerion.
– I train for two weeks at Good to Great, then there are two weeks of ITF tournaments in Miami, and then the elite series, says Nelly, new to Påvelund’s TBK – the team that reached the SM finals during the debut season in the elite series.
– For me, this is a new club and we have a good team. It will be fun to socialize with everyone and get good matches. The goal is to win.

The USA won the BJKC Junior Final after a late victory over the Czech Republic. Read more here.