Golding Wins Grand Slam Despite being in the Middle of Dental Treatment
Britain’s new junior tennis champion is celebrating after winning his first Grand Slam tournament.
Oliver Golding overcame exhaustion and won the US Open Boy’s title, despite suffering from a virus and being in the middle of an intensive course of dental treatment.
Golding, 17, left his hometown Richmond-upon-Thames last month and headed for North America. On arrival he was limited to soft and liquid foods, as his mouth had been wired up. His preparation was very difficult and at one point, during the Canadian Open, he was forced to visit hospital after his tongue became trapped in the plate in the roof of his mouth.
Golding somehow managed to excel despite the many set-backs he faced and he became the first Brit to win a junior Grand Slam since Andy Murray in 2004. The 17 year old, who is due to celebrate his 18th birthday in the coming weeks, came through a tough draw to reach the final, which was contested against the top seed, Czech player, Jiri Vesely.
Golding won the match at Flushing Meadows 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. His mother Sandra said that people had questioned his fitness after he struggled to shake off a virus and had to adapt his diet due to dental treatment.
Golding now joins an illustrious list of junior US Open winners, which includes Andy Roddick, Pat Cash, David Nalbandian and Stefan Edberg.
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