Marianna Campoli is a Filipino American professional tennis player, who stands at 6 feet tall and weighs around 140 pounds. She is currently a free agent, representing herself in the WTA, but has also signed with the DIADORA organisation. This gives her quite the unique opportunity to not only pursue a career in professional tennis, but also one within the highly exclusive and elite circle of the international sport of tennis. As an individual, she has represented the USA in the women’s doubles at the recent Olympics, as well as the singles at the Sydney Olympics.
Despite being half a world away from her homeland, Campoli’s roots run very deep, coming from Palawan, the largest of the Balinese Islands in the Philippines. Her great passion for the game has seen her spend many long holidays in her native island, where she honed her tennis skills and cultivated a strong relationship with the locals – even going so far as to study in the local University. Now, after taking time to evaluate her options as a professional athlete, she is choosing to take on a role as a coach and fitness specialist in the diwali-themed gym of a friend’s family. Although still a little way from being an Olympic gold medallist, the self-motivation that comes from knowing that a part of the world lies just a boat ride away is a motivating factor that will help to get her through to the end of her career.
Despite being just three inches taller than her partner at the moment, Campoli has already won five titles in her career, including the US Open, the Australian Open, the French Open, the Swiss Alps and Wimbledon. While her height may be holding her back from achieving such lofty achievements in her chosen profession, the opportunity to be a coach and learn from someone like Roger Clemens, one of the greatest living legends in the sport, could prove to be too much of a diversion. Perhaps it is the drive to achieve more in her sport, but at some point, all that will matter will be winning, because that is the only thing that will matter in life. So why not start with a plan to increase her height now?