As a child, Ellisia Cleave was told by her coach she couldn’t play tennis because she was blind.
But that hasn’t held back the former Hauraki Plains dweller, who will soon serve up her European tennis debut on the world stage.
Forty four-year-old Ellisia Cleave, or Lissie as she likes to go by, will be competing at the IBTA Blind Tennis World Championships next month in Italy, showcasing her skills on the other side of the world despite being visually impaired.
Lissie, who was born legally blind, said she comes under the B3 classification in blind and low vision tennis. This meant generally Lissie’s peripheral vision was okay but the sight acuity or sharpness was very low, she said.
Lissie, who is coached by Niki Le Mesurier, told The Profile she came to the attention of the International Blind Tennis Association, which offered her a “wildcard” into this year’s world champs.
“This is such an amazing honor to be selected to represent New Zealand on an international stage – there are 20 countries attending with approximately 140 athletes invited,” she said.
However, that’s not all.
A few days before Lissie steps foot on the world champ court, she also will compete at the European Open Blind and VI Tennis Championships in Poland.
Even though Lissie didn’t think she would come home as a world champion, she said she hoped to come back with a bit of motivation to be a “vibrant ambassador” for people to “just get out there”.
Lissie, who has been living in Paparoa, Northland, since 2021, unlocked a pathway back to tennis a year ago through her involvement with her town’s promotional committee.
The chair of the committee told Lissie to grab a racket and ball and have a hit at the court, she said, and she hasn’t looked back.
Lissie said her grandma loved watching tennis and used to play when she was younger.
“It feels amazing to finally have an opportunity to play something that has meant so much to my grandma.
“It’s a shame she’s not alive to see it, that’s gutting – but I’m sure that in some way she’ll be there.”
It wasn’t until she did some research and came across the Ngatira Tennis Club in Auckland that she realised blind and low vision tennis existed, she said.
One adaptation for the sport was the tennis ball and another was the court size.
The ball is slightly larger than a tennis ball, made of foam like a pool noodle, she said.
It has a shell inside it with bells so when you hit it, or it lands on the ground – it rings, she said.
And the court is shorter because the ball doesn’t go as far, she said.
Lissie said the game starts off with one person calling to see if the other is ready, the opponent replies, then the starter will announce ‘play’ just before they hit the ball.
“That is because we can hear where they’re standing by where they speak from and then when they hit the ball, we can track it between there and when it lands.”
Finding blind and low vision tennis “changed my life”, she said.
Lissie would like blind people who wish to play tennis to become part of their community by joining mainstream clubs, she said.
It would be “our version of tennis” in a mainstream environment where people can get support and community spirit for themselves, she said.
Lissie’s biggest support was her Mum, Jill Cleave, who encouraged her to try anything and take on “wild adventures” from an early age, Lissie said.
“I have carried that attitude with me my whole life.”
Lissie’s advice for other blind athletes is “don’t give up” and “don’t let people tell you you can’t”, she said. “You’ll find people who can see that anything is possible.”
DETAILS: Lissie has been raising funds for her trip through a givealittle page. To donate, go to Givealittle.co.nz and search for “Lissie Cleave” or click here: Lissies givealittle page.
