Montreal – Carson Branstine remembers collecting cans and bottles with her mother and two sisters to help her family “lost everything” about a decade ago.
Earlier this year, she was modeling, teaching tennis and feeding Uber Eats to fund her fledgling tennis career, a financial obstacle to long-term injuries that was interrupted.
It’s not an easy road, but Branstin says the hard way to do it is paying off.
“I don’t have any shortcuts to get to where I am and I think it makes me very hard to compete and beat the girls who have it all,” she said. “They have all these fancy coaches and stuff and then it’s me.”
Branstine is a confident self-starter who provides a dynamic defense for obstacles to entering the central court.
“Nothing really confuses me,” she said in a phone interview. “I don’t care what I win.
Branstine competes for Canada, but she grew up in Orange County, California. Her mother, Carol, is from Toronto.
A 24-year-old dual citizen – and cousin of Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman – Branstin entered the National Bank Open this weekend after appearing in Montreal’s wildcard in Montreal, waving a wave of momentum after storming Wimbledon’s qualification last month.
The big-service Branstin beat French Open player Lois Boisson and long-time friend Bianca Andreescu to her first major.
She then lost to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (in the first courtroom at All England Club) in the first round to spin for a few days.
“It took me a nice week to settle down completely and be able to sleep well at night with my brain running, ‘Oh my goodness, what happened?” “It’s over now…the reality is over, I’m still ranked (191), and there’s a lot to do before actually making it.
“I always thought I was in the top 100, it was just a matter of time, or I was hurt or anything.
Branstine has always believed that because she has always been the best in the world before.
The five-foot-11 right-handed batsman ranked fourth in the ITF Junior Tour in 2017, and she also won two Grand Slam Junior Tag Team Championships with Andreescu.
Rather than jumping directly to professionals like many of her contemporaries, Branstine took the college route, a decision that was largely due to her injuries and the high costs on the tennis tour.
Branstin said the financial situation of her family was “most of the middle class.” She even attended a private school for several years.
But when she was about 13, everything changed.
As Branstine described, her father, Bruce, is a financial adviser, “really fighting for us, trying to do something big, and things aren’t resolved.”
“My family lost everything,” she added. “It ranged from living a very middle-class, solid, stable life to my grandma’s meals, and my parents could hardly even pay for gasoline.
“I think a lot of people look at me and they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re from Orange County’, all of this stuff. When parents live in Paycheque to Paycheque, it’s not as charming as it looks.”
In 2016, Branstine moved to Montreal to train at the National Center for Tennis Canada and began representing her mother’s homeland the following year.
Even in her early days in tennis, she imagined representing Canada in the United States.
“I’m the first generation of Americans in Mom’s family, and it’s a way of respecting it. Like, I’m Canadian, and at the end of the day, I really feel like I’m Canadian.”
“I love playing for Canada. It’s the best thing ever.”
Former player Valérie Tétreault, who now serves as the tournament director of the Montreal National Bank Open, remembers Branstine coming to the Canadian stage with a strong ground harshness and not surprised to see her promotion.
“When it comes to the fact that you should always keep believing in yourself,” she said. “Even at Wimbledon against Arina, it was a huge effort. I don’t feel like she was overwhelmed on the court at all.
“She could see there was a path, there was a way to get into the top 50 and then really make a living with the sport.”
As the next step toward this goal, Branstin is investing in her career and hiring Belgian coach Gerald Moretti for the Montreal Championship.
“I can only afford it in a few months and weeks,” she said. “(But) I know if I want to put it in the top 100, top 50 and beyond, you have to do things the right way. No corners with corners.”
Recent success is also growing her followers and opening the door to more opportunities for brand trading. She also plans to continue to balance her tennis career with modeling.
Uber food delivery?
“Absolutely not,” she said. “That ship has sailed.”
