Globe Trotter: Central Indiana Junior Returns to Midwest after Training in Europe

Roland Garros has a quiet magic about it. Held in the heart of Paris, the second Grand Slam of the year takes the elegance of the sport onto the famous red clay for two weeks of world-class tennis. For eleven-year-old Patrick-Wheat Lindsey, the tournament became much more than a family trip to France. It became his inspiration to start his tennis journey.

When he returned to his hometown of Palmyra, Ind., Wheat-Lindsey wanted to get started right away in his training. Wheat-Lindsey was matched with a coach who inspired him and pushed him in Louisville, Ky. and began to compete in tournaments across the Midwest.

As Wheat-Lindsey progressed in his training, so too did his love of competition. It was several years after he started tennis that his coach's brother presented him an opportunity that would push his game to new heights as well as introduce him to some of the toughest competition in the world: a chance to travel to Europe and train and live in Spain.

"It was a great, not only tennis opportunity, but it was a great culture opportunity," said Wheat-Lindsey.

So, for the better part of three years, Wheat-Lindsey honed his craft, playing countless Spanish national tournaments as well as Tennis Europe events and eventually working his way up to ITF tournaments.

After living with his coach's brother for a while, Wheat-Lindsey received his next big break in being able to train at a tennis academy in Barcelona. Through his hard work and the grueling practices each day, Wheat-Lindsey slowly earned nine ITF points and flourished as a player.

Over his time in Spain, Wheat-Lindsey was able to travel everywhere from Turkey to Bahrain and compete against some of the most talented players he had ever faced. The Central Indiana junior recalls one such tournament experience that truly tested his mental and physical abilities.

After hopping off the plane in Bahrain for a tournament, Wheat-Lindsey was greeted by 115-degree heat and a first-round 12 o'clock match against the number one seed. As if that was not enough, Wheat-Lindsey woke the morning of the match with a nasty cold.

Wheat-Lindsey gave the match his all, despite all of the factors working against him and after a long, three hours, clinched the win.

Wheat-Lindsey said that he learned a lot about himself and the game that day, lessons to which he has held tight.

"No matter what, there are times when it will seem like things aren't going your way, but nothing will compare to if you push through those things with a positive attitude and don't let the negative attitude take over," said Wheat-Lindsey.

Though Wheat-Lindsey would have liked to stay in Europe to train for a longer period of time, he had to make the tough decision to return to the United States amid COVID-19 limitations in Spain to make sure his training remained on track. Due to the uncertainty of the situation, Wheat-Lindsey was forced to say goodbye to many friends quickly without knowing when he might see them again, friends who taught him more than he ever could have dreamed.

"I met people and learned about their cultures from all my friends from places like South Korea, China, even people from Africa," said Wheat-Lindsey. "I value that just as much as I value all of the tennis things I've learned.

"I learned to take on big responsibilities and truly take care of myself."

Back in the Midwest, Wheat-Lindsey is excited to begin playing more USTA tournaments. Most recently, Wheat-Lindsey competed in the Central Indiana District Closed (his first tournament back since February) and finished as the singles finalist in the boys' 18s division.

As Wheat-Lindsey readjusts to American tennis, he looks forward to a long future of competition ahead of him and continuing his worldly education through college next year.

"Tennis has taught me that things don't come free in life, that you're going to have to work for things," said Wheat-Lindsey. "It's also taught me that you're going to have to stand up for yourself and lead sometimes and make hard decisions...tennis has taught me about other cultures and about the world."