“Don’t get caught up in winning and losing,” Tu advises kids. “Enjoy playing and remember no matter what the results are, you’re a winner. You’ve just got to really love it.”

It is Tu’s love for tennis that has kept her climbing the Sanex WTA Tour rankings since she turned pro in 1994 at age 16. In 2001, Tu reached No. 36, the highest singles ranking of her career. The same year, Tu also achieved a career goal when she won her first tour title at the ASB Bank Classic in Auckland.

During her tennis career, Tu has faced some tough opponents, including Martina Hingis (who she defeated in the 1994 Junior U.S. Open), Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati. But none have been Tu’s greatest challenge while competing on the tour.

So then what has been her greatest obstacle?

“I guess the belief that you can make it,” Tu said. “It’s a process. First, it’s can I make it into the top 100? Then, can I make it into the top 50? It’s a mental thing.”

Tu has fought through and overcome many setbacks in her pro career, including a stress fracture in her foot and an injured wrist, which kept her from competing for eight months. Tu also had to cope with the loss of her father, who had been a great influence on her life on and off the court, to cancer in 1999.

“He pretty much always told me to enjoy tennis and not get caught up in winning and losing,” Tu said. “He would say ‘There are millions of girls who would love to be in your shoes.’ He said the most important thing is that you be happy and the moment you’re not, you can put your racquets in your bag.”

As for the future, Tu’s wishes are simple: to be happy and stay injury-free. Oh, and a few wins in a Grand Slam event wouldn’t hurt either.

“I hate losing and I love tennis. You have good and bad days, but my dad keeps me going,” Tu said. “It’s not that I do it for him now that he’s gone but it makes me happy. I know he’s looking down on me and being really proud.”