Claudia Hawkes has played in tournaments all over the world.

Originally from Toronto, Claudia started playing tennis when she was nine years old. As a senior in high school, she accepted a tennis scholarship to Auburn University, played #1 singles in their Division 1 program and met her future husband, John. In the 1990's, she played on satellite pro tennis tours and Virginia Slims tournaments. At one point, she was ranked number one in the U.S. in the 25-and-over age group. But according to Hawkes, "Once I had kids, that was pretty much it for competitive tennis."

About a year ago, she opened a fitness studio called Club Vital Fitness on Humphrey Street in Swampscott where she runs personal training and small group training programs." A lot of clients come in who are recovering from an injury, or just want to get stronger," said Claudia. “We’ve had great success with our functional training routines which incorporate everyday movements including lunges, pushes, and pulls with weights, along with agility and cardio exercises."

"Now that my business is up and running, I wanted to start playing tennis again. So, I called the new Head Pro at Northshore Tennis, Dan McCormick and said, 'If you can find me some good-level players, I'll join this club because my studio is only eight minutes away.' Dan immediately connected me with Club Manager Tony Lena," said Claudia. "Tony's been the best. Right off the bat, he found me three players to hit with. I'm so thrilled. That's three times more than I played in a whole year. It’s been so much fun getting back into playing the game! Northshore Tennis is a little hidden gem."

If you're thinking about playing more tennis but need a partner who plays at your skill level, call Tony Lena at 978-745-5997. Tony takes pride in putting together matches for people with compatible games.