Maddie Brooks talks to Norfolk Tennis News about her 2024 season, which saw her rise from No. 283 in the WTA Doubles Rankings to a career-high No. 127 this month.
She won four ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour titles at the Karume, Japan (w/Sarah Beth Grey), in Montemor-o-Novo (w/Eudice Chong) and at Hamburg and Trnava (w/Isabelle Haverlag). Maddie also finished runner-up at five other tournaments.
Having turned pro in May 2023, Maddie is now the British No. 8 doubles player.
What has been the highlight of your 2024 season?
I’ve had a few highlights in 2024. Winning my first title [the Kurume Cup in Japan with Sarah Beth Grey] was a big moment for me, especially in the circumstances I won it. It was my eighth straight and last week competing in Asia, to be able to persevere mentally and physically to win that title meant a lot. After being so close to winning my first professional title on a few previous occasions, it felt good to finally get over the line.
Winning the title in Hamburg [in October with Isabelle Haverlag] was pleasing for me too. We had to beat four good pairs to win the tournament. I’m also proud of how I’ve pushed and worked hard at the latter stages of this year to win titles.
Did you expect to rise so much in one calendar year?
It’s tough to say yes or no to this! Although I don’t like to focus too much on my WTA Ranking, I knew this year would be a good opportunity to push up. I had the goal of being Top 150 by the end of this year, so I’ve accomplished that. I know that if I am able to put out a good level of performance consistently my ranking will take care of itself, and I’ll get rewarded for the work I put in.
How do you reflect on your WTA tournament debut at the Thailand Open?
It was a good experience. Seeing the level and being in that environment was important for me. Beating two Top 75 players in the first round was good for my confidence. It made me see that the gap in level isn’t much and probably more of a mental/mindset, and, also, the importance of scheduling. I would say that this year I’ve played much stronger ITF tournaments than in this WTA, which is sometimes how it goes. Going forward in 2025, I’ll be playing a lot more WTA events.
4-5 in ITF finals. Can you talk through your partnerships with Isabelle, Eudice and Sarah Beth, and why they were successful?
They are all a bit different, but I like playing and have been successful with them all. My partnership with Eudice [Chong] came about quite randomly via an Instagram DM! Straight away it worked, and I like our game styles together. She gives me a sense of calm and confidence on court, and we built a really good relationship on and off the court. I think during the time we played together, we both helped each other improve on certain aspects of our games, Her coach, Francesco, really put a lot of time and effort into our partnership, which was great to have that support.
The first week I played with Beth, we were terrible! But then the second week we won a title, which is how it goes in tennis sometimes! Beth being a lefty really helped us as a pair when choosing plays, especially on her serve. She hits a big ball and I think when we played well our level was very high. We both like to be aggressive, so we were aligned and knew what one another was bringing to the partnership.
I have a lot of fun partnering Isabelle, we’ve played three times together, making three finals and winning two of those. The way we play I don’t think anyone enjoys playing against us. We both like to be at the net and play first strike tennis. Like Beth, she’s a lefty, which allows us to be more aggressive with serving patterns and formations. I feel very confident as a duo, and even when we aren’t playing well in the moment or at a certain point during a match, I know we will get through. We have the potential to improve a lot too as a pair which is exciting.
What part of your game do you think you improved the most in 2024?
I think every part of my game has improved. Certain areas more than others but I think in comparison to last year I’ve made big strides overall. Probably the biggest improvement has been mentally both in matches and training, but also my approach to playing professionally and what comes with that.
What lessons did you learn in 2024 that will hopefully propel you into the Top 100?
When I turned professional in May 2023, and for a while after, every match felt so important and almost like it was life or death! When I suffered defeats, I really struggled to see the bigger picture and keep everything in perspective. But with experience and learning with every match/tournament I play, you realise you can’t be like that. Tennis, the Tour and especially doubles, is so up and down that you have to keep a level head in the good and the bad moments. This year I’ve learnt how important it is to embrace life on Tour and the up and down nature of it.