The Stevenage tennis player who is Taiwan’s No 1

In the course of more intense preparation for Wimbledon, British players will inevitably receive a lot of the spotlight.

Joanna Garland was a potential choice.

However, the Stevenage-born 23-year-old has chosen to play tennis for Taiwan, becoming the nation’s top female tennis player.

Her mother is from East Asia, and her family moved there when she was a child before moving back to Hertfordshire.

Garland feels “a very strong connection” to Taiwan, a nation that has supported her throughout her career, so it’s no surprise then.

She told BBC Look East, “There was a point where I was questioning it.” I was unsure of what to do as I approached Grand Slam qualifiers and was a potential wildcard for Wimbledon.

“I saw Sonay Kartal, Katie Boulter, and Emma Raducanu playing for the British and thinking the situation wouldn’t improve.” I was also putting it in doubt.

“But I’ve had success playing for Taiwan.” Some of my most significant life experiences took place in Taiwan as I was a child.

When Garland was four years old, her father, John, who is a professional coach, gave her the first lesson in tennis.

She turned professional in 2019 after reaching a career high of 14 as a junior.

She has organized her own schedule and traveled alone to tournaments since she was 14 years old.

She said, “I’m pretty good at organizing myself.”

My grandmother and mom have been very encouraging. They never declined to support me in ways that might have included playing a tournament in Malaysia alone. They supported me, but they didn’t stop by and watch.

It means that accommodations can be difficult to find while traveling, and that the rankings can become “very lonely.”

Garland continued, “You don’t get picked up from the airport, free meals, or five-star hotels. Dog balls are used to practice. You inquire as to whether you are competent.

“I don’t believe I slept in any of the dorms I stayed in, where there were mosquitoes and cockroaches.”

Garland’s early years on the road were plagued by injuries, with a ranking decline of 551 at the end of last year.

However, she had her best year to date in 2025. She won four W35 tournaments sponsored by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in Kenya and Italy, which has helped her win the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings to 144.

Tim de Rooij teaches her full-time in the Netherlands, and she qualified for her first Grand Slam at the French Open last month, defeating American Katie Volynets in the first-round.

After qualifying for the French Open, Garland said, “I got a horrendous cold.”

I spent three days in bed. I didn’t practice, and I didn’t sleep. In the third set, I was 3-0 up, but I managed to win with a 6-4 advantage. How on earth did I manage to pull this off, I wondered? ‘. “

Taiwanese messages were flooded onto her phone.

She continued, “It was pretty overwhelming.” My mother informed me that her phone had gone off, and I called her.

Garland lost to Canada’s Bianca Andreescu in the first round to her fellow 32nd seed Julia Putintseva in round two, but the 32nd seed Julia Putintseva won in the second round to bolster her run at Roland Garros.

She is now getting ready to make her first-ever Wimbledon qualifying appearance this week.

She said, “I’m in a good mood and quite excited about the upcoming weeks.”