Ahead of the Singapore Tennis Open and inaugural Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup at Kallang Tennis Centre, Team Singapore's Lynelle Lim shares with SportPlus.sg on the Athletes' Voice Podcast, how she has benefited from the sport and her road ahead
She is one of three Team Singapore tennis athletes who were handed wildcards for the Singapore Tennis Open (STO) 2025 competition, and featured in the singles qualifying matches over the past weekend.
Former World No. 824 Lynelle Lim is looking to build on her past experiences on the International Tennis Federation circuit, and will next feature in the inaugural Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup, a regional tournament that will pit her, Audrey Tong and Eva Marie Desvignes, against their competitors from Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.
Speaking with SportPlus.sg on The Athletes' Voice Podcast ahead of her tournaments at the Kallang Tennis Hub this week, the former WTA Future Star shared her insights on how world class tennis events can cultivate interest in the sport of tennis in Singapore, the difference between playing overseas and in Southeast Asia, and what she loves most about her new ASICS Gel-Resolution X shoes which she will be wearing for the tournament.
How did you get into tennis, and how long have you been playing tennis for?
Lynelle: I actually started pretty late, I first picked up a racket when I was ten and I've been playing tennis for 13 years now. How I started was I used to tag along with my parents to pick my brother up after his tennis lessons and I would get a bit curious while waiting and I would take the extra racket and swing around and then eventually I convinced my mom to talk to the coach to let me have a go at it and after a while he finally caved in.
We were first acquainted back at the WTA Future Stars back in 2016, how much of your tennis journey has evolved since back then?
Lynelle: Quite a lot, I think the biggest change is just maturing and understanding the game over time. You can never perfect anything but just accepting more of your flaws and trying to work around it and improvise when it's needed.
What would you say were your favourite memories from your tennis journey to date?
Lynelle: My favourite memory of all time was the first time I represented Singapore at the SEA Games in 2019. It was my first major event so that was pretty memorable.
Are there any tennis athletes that you really looked up to that you picked up parts of their game or had an influence on how you played?
Lynelle: I would say Stefanie Tan, our former number 1 Singapore tennis player. We shared the same coach so I spent a lot of time training alongside her and watching her game really helped me to understand that anything is possible, watching her represent Singapore at the highest level just made me believe that I can copy bits and pieces of her game and try to do it my own way.
You are very involved in the Singapore Tennis Open and the Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup, how excited are you?
Lynelle: That's a very hard question, I am really very excited because it's nice having the WTA back in Singapore after seven to eight years, it's nice to see world-class athletes come back to Singapore and play at the new Kallang Tennis Hub.
And for the STIC, it's always nice representing your country playing against countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia who are our main competitors for SEA Games. It's be nice to see where we stand and how we can improve from now until then.
Are you using this tournament as a gauge, are you trying to qualify for this year's SEA Games?
Lynelle: Ideally I would like to qualify for this year's SEA games, so this would be a good chance to improve myself, and for the rest of the girls on the team on the team as well.
You will be wearing the ASICS Gel-Resolution X, how does it compare to the rest of ASICS' tennis line which you have had the privilege of wearing over the years?
Lynelle: It's really good, I love the cushioning and support, the Gel-Resolution X just lets players move with confidence, especially lateral movements. There is just so much support, ASICS is really known for their tennis shoes world wide for so many years. It's just very impressive how they can keep making it better each year, and I'm really looking forward to wearing them on home ground.
How different is the tennis scene overseas as compared to Southeast Asia?
Lynelle: The main difference is the match play really. Since I started university I've been playing matches weekly and I think that's something we lack over here. We could be training as hard as them but matchplay is really crucial, especially for performance players who want to continue to be competitive.
When you are in a match you have to think fast, react fast, it's just so different from training. You could be drilling as hard as you can but you just have to switch it on in a match and that's different. Catch Lynelle Lim and Team Singapore at the Kallang Tennis Hub this week for the Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup, for match fixtures, visit here. #SgTennisOpen #WTA #TeamSingapore
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