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OLYMPIC DEBUTANT She always dreamed of competing at an Olympics, so she was super-happy that I was able to realise my dream. We just started celebrating. After five minutes we all calmed down and it was fine, but it was an emotional moment. Everything happened so quickly and when I arrived in Tokyo, I realised that the Olympics are another level and a whole different world. All the best athletes being in one place doing what they do, eating in the same restaurant and just going about their business – it was unreal. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, and you get a sense of the scale of the Games when you arrive at the Olympic Village and see the flags from all the different nations. Those self- driving cars, meanwhile, were so strange, but so funny. I was looking out for famous athletes from different sports but with everyone wearing masks it was hard to recognise them. But I just loved being around all the other tennis players and the big professionals. Of course, I see them at other tournaments, but I just admire them all so much, so seeing them in an Olympic setting felt different and witnessing first-hand how they prepare for an event which is only every four years (normally) was a big learning experience. What impressed me most was how focussed they were. Clearly, it has taken five years to get to Tokyo 2020 and their Olympic dream could be over in a matter of seconds, so the focus I saw was incredible. It was also a lot of fun hanging out with the rest of the Colombian tennis team – Daniel Elahi Galan, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah – even though I was the only woman! They treated me so well, were always there for me and supported me when I was playing. Whether at Grand Slams or other tournaments, you tend to do your own thing, but at the Olympics we were a team: eating together, warming up together and doing so much as Team Colombia. It was a really enjoyable experience. It goes without saying that I wish I could have gone further in the women's singles and spent more time on court. With four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka a potential opponent in the second round, I unfortunately lost 6-4 6-1 to Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic. Despite losing in the first round, it was a massive privilege to represent my country at Tokyo 2020. There is no better feeling and I really appreciated the opportunity to do so. I gave everything that day as I realised I was not only playing for me, but for everyone back in Colombia. As I say, I wish my Olympic adventure could have lasted longer, but Tokyo was unreal. I loved every second of it. n Tokyo was such an amazing experience. Being an athlete at the Olympic Games is something that I always dreamed about and when I had the chance to be there, I was super-excited and so happy to represent my country. Honestly, I was not expecting to compete at the Olympics. Of course, it is something that I thought about and dreamed of, and I was really working hard to get there, but even a few days before flying out I wasn't 100 per cent certain I would be going. I remember the morning when the call came through. It was about 6am and my dad, Carlos, woke me up and I was told I had the chance to go to Tokyo and compete on behalf of Colombia. I just started crying as the news was so amazing. I had no doubt in saying, 'yes', and I went straight to my mum, Adriana, who was also very sporty in her youth and an excellent basketball player. Colombia's Maria Camila Osorio Serrano received a $25,000 ITF-administered Grand Slam Development Fund player grant in 2020, which followed ITF International Junior Player Grants in 2018 and 2019 and places on several Touring Teams. The 19-year-old showed enormous promise as a junior, twice qualifying for and competing at the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Finals in Chengdu before being crowned girls' champion at the 2019 US Open Junior Tennis Championships. At the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Cucuta-born Osorio Serrano claimed bronze in the girls' singles and silver in the mixed doubles alongside Nicolas Mejia. The duo lost out to Japan's Yuki Naito and Naoki Tajima in the gold medal match. With her career progressing, the teenager has three ITF World Tennis Tour titles to her name and earlier this year she scooped her maiden WTA title at Copa Colsanitas in Bogota. In July, Osorio Serrano made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. Represen ng Colombia at an Olympic Games is something Osorio Serrano dreamed of ITF World Tokyo 2020 27

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