“I just love running,” he said simply.

Returning victoriously from tennis’ state final Junior Development Series, the Year 7 student was all smiles and energy but had to pause to consider what it was that made tennis, for him, so special.

“It’s the challenge, I need use my mentality,” he said.

For Lleyton, the ratio between his fitness and mental strength when playing a match varies depending on the game and the opponent. 

“I need to draw from both at different times, but a lot of it is about discipline too.”

His martial arts training from local trainer Sid Yates has stood him in good stead, contributing towards recent tennis matches in the Topspin White Junior Tour, for which he recently won a consolation plate and got through to the semi-final. On track with a win in the first set and second set, Richards was forced to wonder ‘what if’ after the match had to be abandoned due to a storm. 

But the 12-year-old was back on court for another three days the next day, this time in the NSW Combined High School State Carnival, punching way above his weight in the Under 16s. Representing the Hunter, his team won three out of four events and placed fourth across the state.  It was just a taste of what is to come as next year the competition will be an Open Age high school event.

With his team’s fourth place firmly nestled in experience, it was no time to stop, and Richards moved on to attend the NSW Junior Development Series State Final. This competition is designed to give regional players the opportunity to compete at a high level within their region and must compete in a minimum of five matches to get through to the next round depending on their scores. 

“The demands on players and their families aren’t as great,” Lleyton’s mother Lisa said with relief, citing trips made all over the country for other competitions. 

Representing the Northumberland region, Richards won all of his matches including two against ‘city’ players, progressing through to the quarter final against Central West player Lleyton Edwards. It was the Lleyton versus Lleyton match, which Richards won 6-2, 6-0. He went on to win the semi-final the following day in three sets over three hours, in more than 30 degree heat. 

Now on his seventh continuous day of tennis, Richards was back on court within the hour to take on South Coast player Luke Miners, who came out hard wanting the win. Richards lost the first set 0-6.

“I thought – whoa, what am I going to do? But I wasn’t going to give up. I found his weakness, a deep backhand. He didn’t like to run. But I made him run all over the court. After winning the second set I had heaps more confidence I could take out the third. He was so tired, I was so tired, but I knew I just had to keep it up.”

Almost three hours later, Richards emerged the state champion for Under 13s, 0-6, 7-5, 6-4. He had played almost six hours of tennis in intense heat in one day.

“I came off with a massive smile on my face.”

In between laps with the local swimming club, next up is zone athletics for the 3000m, 1500m, 800m and discus. His next appointment on-court is at the Australian 12/Under National Championships in Melbourne in December, followed by the Margaret Court Cup in Albury and the Victorian Grasscourt Championships in Wodonga in January.

His laptop, purchased thanks to a fundraiser hosted by Gloucester Tennis, will no doubt be the only thing that stops during school holidays as Richards continues on running.