Carol Cassar Torreggiani was born on 25 July 1968 at the Blue Sisters Hospital, delivered by her grandfather Dr Edward Navarro. From a tender age she was exposed to the world of tennis and racket sports, as her father, Vincent Curmi, was also Malta’s Tennis and Badminton champion. “I still remember receiving my first tennis racket at the young age of four. I used to tag along to all of my father’s sporting events with my brother and sister, be it either tennis at the Marsa Sports Club or badminton competitions around the island. We used to be dropped off in the early hours of the morning at the club, where we would spend most of the day playing tennis, games and other sports with all the other kids at the club.
Naturally, I grew to fall in love with the sport during my youth and remember having to balance school with tennis was quite a big challenge! As I grew older and began to play more competitive tennis, my holidays were spent travelling to different tournaments, most often to the UK. As my commitment to training and competition increased as a teenager, I never really spent time with friends at the beach or elsewhere enjoying the sun in Malta. It was tough being away from family and friends, however, competition kept me motivated to carry on.”
Carol aimed high but like every other human owes a lot to her formation years. “I spent my junior and senior school years at The Convent of the Sacred Heart, followed by my sixth form years at St Aloysius College. Given my exposure to sport from a young age, I aspired to further my studies in the field of Physiotherapy, to help athletes like myself with their aches and pains. However, at that time the course for Physiotherapy at University was only offered every three years and I was not ready to wait another three years to start my studies. Therefore, I had no choice but to leave the island and search for education elsewhere. I remember clearly going to the American Embassy to obtain details of universities that had a great tennis team and offered sports scholarships. Thanks to my world junior ranking, which was top 100 at that time, I was offered and accepted a full-ride scholarship at San Diego (United States International University).
"USIU had a phenomenal international tennis team, facilities and set up, and was ranked top 20 in the First Division. I had to change my preference to study physiotherapy, as in the States this course was offered as a pre-med course, followed by another couple of years to obtain a degree, plus an unfavourable schedule which clashed with tennis training. Therefore, I opted to switch to Business degree and graduated four years later. After four fantastic years of tennis and education in the States, I decided to return home and started to work in my father’s firm in the field of finance and audit. My life then was very hectic, as I had to balance working full-time, training and coached tennis, as well as furthering my studies to obtain my ACCA qualification and topping it all off with having twin boys at the same time! I have been a partner at the firm VCA Certified Public Accountants for a number of years; we are a boutique professional firm with very successful clientele both locally and overseas.”
In life every human sets targets. And to succeed one has to aim high. “The tennis world is so competitive and today it’s become even more competitive. There are so many kids who play competitive tennis, but in reality few make it to the top. It is difficult to compare the level of competition and rate of success with popular team sports like football, where there are many more teams, positions, funding and therefore more opportunities around the world. Moreover, it is only the top 150-200 ranked players who are able to make a living out of the sport, which is a tiny fraction of the total pool of competitive tennis players. To make it to the top you need money for travels to play competitions and improve your ranking, the utter desire to make it, a brilliant mind, a healthy body, the right people around you at the right time, some luck and most of all the gift from God (the talent).”
Honours started rolling in – winning the Junior Championships and also crowned Malta Champion between 1985 and 1995 bar one year. Was this the peak of Carol’s career? “I was junior champion under 12, 14, 16 and 18 and also Malta Ladies Champion for many years. As a junior, besides winning the local tournaments, I played many overseas tournaments, initially in the UK winning several club open tournaments in various parts of the country, however my most successful years as a junior were between 1985 and 1986, where I was a finalist in world ranking open ITF junior tournaments in Palermo, Portugal, Florence and Austria. At the age of 18, I moved to the US to play college tennis and in 1989 I won the first division intercollegiate tournament of the state of Ohio; I don’t believe any Maltese person has ever won such a prestigious event. Being ranked top 60 in first Division US College Tennis I also qualified for the NCAA tournament (considered to be the best amateur tournament in the world) however I opted to represent Malta in the GSSE. After four years in the US I returned to Malta and continued to represent Malta in Federation Cup, GSSE and won the Malta championship, even after my boys were born.”
But how did her experiences away from our island help her in furthering her career? “From the age of nine I started travelling abroad to play various tournaments. Primarily in the UK when I was coached by an English coach based in Malta, Gordon Mudge. I won several club tournaments there and started to participate and succeed in more international tournaments, which pushed up my ranking and thus qualified for Junior Wimbledon. I had the pleasure of playing Gabriella Sabatini in a semi final tournament in Vienna and also Barbara Schett in a Fed Cup match in Austria. My four years in the States were the years that I enjoyed playing tennis the most. I started at the number 6 position in the tennis team and worked my way up to the top in the last year to represent the college at the number 1 spot. We played many of the top Ivy League teams such as Stanford, UCLA, Sta Barbara, and so on. We were top 20 in the nation and I even made it to the Nationals (top 64 college players in the US), however I had to refuse the invitation as I chose to play for my country in the GSSE Games.”
Carol formed a formidable couple with Helen Asciak in the Doubles Event. In fact she won Gold in the GSSE in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993 making them practicabily unbeatable. “Yes we had great results over the years. Four gold medals for Malta was a great achievement and we felt so proud to represent the country and succeed in the GSSE games. We were two fighters and we made a great team – Helen for never making any mistakes from the back of the court and I had developed more of an attacking game, so we complemented each other well. Playing in the States really helped develop my game in doubles, we even beat Greece together!
She also had her fair share of success in the Singles, winning three bronze medals and silver during these Games. “I am very proud of the singles medal too, it’s still the only silver medal ever won in the ladies singles. I was too nervous for that Final, it was played in Malta in 1993, there were so many people watching – it was incredible, they even had to send people away. Unfortunately, I lost a stiff match against the top player from Monaco at that time.”
1987 was a particular year as Carol was finally chosen as Sportswoman of the Year. “Yes indeed. I was nominated as finalist for the Sports Woman of the Year quite a few times but managed to win the title in 1987, this was a great honour, however, unfortunately I was back at College and was not able to collect my trophy. But for me this was a great achievement and an appreciation for the results that I was getting.”
But another milestone for Cassar Torreggiani was reached six years later when she was vested with the national award, Il-Qadi tar-Repubblika. “This was epic, to be awarded a medal by the state for the achievements made for your country is something else. To be given such a recognition by the President of Malta, at that time, Dr Censu Tabone was extremely precious. Another achievement is my admission together with Helen to the MOC Hall of Fame.”
Among the various moments in her illustrious career there must surely be a particular moment that stands out. “Yes there were many special proud moments, however one that stands out is when I was the flag bearer for Malta during the opening ceremony of the GSSE Games in 1993; the National Stadium was absolutely full. Also of particular mention is winning the First Gold medal for Malta in 1987 and in 1993 in front of the home crowd.”
Is Carol still involved in the tennis world? “Both my sons play tennis, they were both junior champions, Bernard left Malta at the age of 15 to further his tennis and his studies. He played for the University of Nottingham and Imperial College London tennis teams and is now an active member of Campden Hill Lawn Tennis Club in London. Matthew also played for the University of Nottingham and is back in Malta still competing and representing Malta’s national team. I still follow the local tennis scene, enjoy a game with my boys when possible and follow my niece Francesca Curmi, who has left Malta to take up the sport as a profession. She is a great athlete and wish her all the luck in the world but it is one hell of a tough journey. I was also voted in as secretary to the Malta Tennis Federation for two years but this was very challenging due to the lack of resources, other commitments and opposing views on the committee during my tenure.”
Carol also shares her opinion of what lies ahead for the game on our island. “Malta has a solid ground base to develop tennis to a certain age and level, however to succeed it is difficult to carry on training on the island, with a limited number of players to train with and only a handful of coaches that can take a player to a certain level.”
What does family life mean? “I love my family; they are the most important people in my life. Sometimes I regret working long hours and not being there all the time, but I feel as a mother and a wife I have done and will continue to be there in the best possible way.”
Carol advocates a plant-based diet and loves a slice of a Cassata Siciliana or cannoli. And what about travelling? “My favourite destination is London, more precisely Wimbledon, as it reminds me of playing my first and only junior Grand Slam. The thrill of going there and watching the tournament brings back all the excitement. It is also an opportunity to visit my son.”
Carol also finds time to practise Padel tennis, which is being considered as the fastest growing sport in Europe, and also reading. But apart from these hobbies, what does she like to do in her free time? “I love cycling when possible, but unfortunately the roads are not too safe and there are too many cars on the road! I love a good movie or a good series especially those that relate to history or based on true stories.”
Before bringing to an end this interview with an ex-top local tennis player, a final mention and advice to the young generation from Carol suits all. “I would just like to give a special mention to my father for introducing me to the game and financing my training and travels, my family for their patience and constant support and my lifelong tennis coach Anthony Schranz for his time and dedication. My advice is that Sports will give you so much more than just results. It’s not only the physical aspect of sports that’s good but the psychological development that goes with sport will help achieve your goals in life and always strive for greatness!”