Nicknamed by their mother Ani and Ana, Fitriani Sabatini and Fitriana Sabrina are two twelve-year-old sisters that are toppling the competition in tournament play. However, it has been a hard road to get them where they are. The family has sacrificed a lot to allow the girls to focus on their passion, including selling their family home and pulling the girls out of public education and into home-school for the past year.

Currently renting a home in Jakarta, the duo participate in tournaments on a monthly basis, many of which lie outside of their home city. The two girls aspire to emulate the Williams sisters with hopes of professional careers in the sport. However, Tennis has a meager following at best across the archipelago.

Yayuk Basuki topped the list of Indonesia’s biggest tennis personalities after winning four Asian Games gold medals in the 80’s and 90’s. She went further than any other Indonesian in a Grand Slam event when she proceeded to the quarter finals at Wimbledon in 1997. Today she runs a school teaching over 150 18-and-under players the fundamentals of the game.

Private tennis instructor Alex Santoso and Basuki both struggle to find adequate and affordable facilities in which to teach aspiring players. No public free-to-play courts exist in Jakarta and fees rise every year. Even when the two spot promise in younger players, it is difficult to nurture the talent because most young players don’t see it as a money making profession and instead opt to pursue more lucrative careers.

The two believe that sustainable programmes and corporate sponsorship will catapult the sport’s popularity and help enthusiasts achieve their dreams. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Jakarta’s own Ani and Ana at Wimbledon in the future.