”While the cream of the world’s tennis players strut their stuff on Wimbledon’s grass, one man is defying the odds to allow his daughter to one day play at SW19”, reports The Belfast Telegraph.
Leonard Bejenaru, 44, a Romanian who has been living in east Belfast (Northern Ireland) for 10 years, is all too aware of the cost of making 15-year-old Karola's dreams come true in a country without an official indoor centre of excellence. So, for nine of those 10 years Leonard had two jobs, cleaning in a cinema and delivering pizzas for Dominos.
Karola, who turned 15 last week, recently won the women's Ulster Senior Open. Having picked up ranking points on the International Tennis Federation junior circuit, for 14 to 18 year-olds, she is focused on making it to junior Wimbledon, with dad Leonard stretching himself to the limit. “Recently we went to Nottingham for two weeks for two tournaments and it cost us £3,000. Now we are going to Edinburgh and there is little money. To get to the top you have to play regularly in Europe but it costs a lot. Last year when we went to Cork for a tournament Karola slept in a hotel and I slept in the car for the week. This is the sacrifice you have to make”, said Leonard.
Returning to Romania is not an option. “I have to work here for Karola because if I went back to Romania we couldn't pay for her coaching and I also have to send money back for her sister Artemis, who is at university. I did the two jobs for nine years but now I just do the pizza delivery. I have to thank Dominos for being flexible with me because they give me time off when I need. I have learned that the one thing you never do is give up. You must keep believing.”, said Leonard.