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Carson Branstine, the tennis star labelled Wimbledon’s most beautiful debutant, has opened up on the paltry amount in her bank account before she turned her career around.
The Canadian, 24, qualified for the tournament before making an early exit in round one against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
She’ll still go home with £66,000 for her troubles – a major boost having been forced to juggle work as a delivery driver with her tennis career.
In fact, Branstine revealed that at one point she was in tears after seeing she only had $26 (£19) left in her bank account.
She told Telegraf.rs: ‘When you play ITF tournaments and finance your own life as a young athlete, everything is very expensive.
‘I live in Southern California, and just filling up the tank was seriously draining my bill.
Carson Branstine went out in the first round of Wimbledon but takes home a healthy amount
The Wimbledon debutant has previously worked as a model and delivery driver
Branstine once had just $26 in her bank account while she struggled with her tennis career
‘I remember one morning, a couple of weeks before I played my first WTA final in Cancun, I looked at my account balance and only had $26.
‘I thought about how I’m going to finance myself for the tournament now. I cried. I called my friends, I wasn’t allowed to call my parents – if they found out, they would be very angry.
‘I just said to myself, “Don’t think too much. Do it.” And so after training I drove around Los Angeles and delivered dinners to people.’
It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Branstine and she reflected: ‘This week, many things happened to me for the first time in my life. It was my first time qualifying, only my second Grand Slam in my professional career, my first time playing on court number one, and my first time playing against a top 10 player, let alone the world number one.
‘It was so much fun, I didn’t want it to end. I’m very happy with how everything turned out.
‘Honestly, I don’t know if ‘processing’ is the right word. Everything was too much, everything happened quickly and I try to enjoy every moment. Maybe now that it’s all over, I’ll have time to really process it.
‘But this was amazing. I am proud of myself for many reasons. I fought many battles, not only financially, but also physically. And when I see that all my hard work has paid off, the feeling is incredible.’
Branstine has previously worked as a model, which has helped fund her playing tournaments on the WTA tour.
Branstine said the whirlwind experience of Wimbledon is yet to fully sink in yet
She beat French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson to make the main draw at SW19
Branstine has a degree and is interested in pursuing a career in law in the future
The 24 says there are plenty of similarities between modelling and playing tennis
She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Society, Ethics, and Law with a double minor in Philosophy and Sports Management.
She also assisted a lawyer for a year which saw her attend court and file cases involving family law.
The modelling work has come naturally to her and the world No 194 told Clay Tenis: ‘I love being in front of the camera during a shoot.
‘It’s fun, I love fashion. It’s been one of the reasons I’ve been able to pay some of my trips.
Branstine is ranked just inside the world’s top 200 but that should come down now
She went down in straight sets against the world No 1 but put up an admirable fight
‘I didn’t want to ask my parents for anything. I wanted everything to come from me and from my tennis.
‘I wasn’t signed by these agencies because of my tennis, it was for my look.
‘Modelling and tennis are weirdly similar: you are an object a lot, and people sometimes forget you’re a person too.’
