I’m former Australian Open star and tennis prodigy tipped for stardom then my dad was jailed… now I’m law firm partner
JADE HOPPER has swapped the courts for the chambers in her new career as a lawyer.
The child prodigy was supposed to be the next great hope of Australian tennis.
She was a TV sensation aged 12 and even had a two-year sponsorship deal with Fila.
But her destined rise to the top took an almighty blow when her dad was sent to prison for sex crimes.
And now she has turned her back on tennis to become a partner at a law firm.
Hopper, now 32, was born in Australia’s Gold Coast in 1991 – the daughter of tennis coach Gavin Hopper who had worked with Monica Seles and Mark Philippoussis and ran a tennis academy with Pat Cash.
And from an early age, it was clear she was on course to take the tennis world by storm.
So much so that big brands and TV execs clamoured to get the blonde girl in their gear and on their screens.
That saw her become the youngest person to ever feature on ABC’s Australian Story.
However, Jade’s path hit the rocks in 2004 when Gavin got jailed.
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He was found guilty of three counts of indecent assault and six counts of gross indecency dating back to the late 1980s.
An ex-student of the former PE teacher was preyed on by then 29-year-old when she was just 14, as the pair had sex approximately 300 times including at the Melbourne school.
Hopper Sr served two years and three months of a three-and-a-half-year sentence behind bars.
And as well as the impact on his survivors’ life, Gavin’s daughter suffered the consequences of losing her mentor, coach and father at such a crucial stage of her young career.
Hopper told the Daily Mail Australia: “I was spat on by people in the street. So it’s fair to say it wasn’t all sunshine.
“I definitely remember being a teenager… it was just awful when you’re travelling by yourself on a tennis tour. You’re kind of alone and exposed.”
Hopper did go on to play professionally on the WTA Tour from 2007 to 2011 and reached one ITF singles final in Turkey in 2010.
Her career-high ranking of 448 was significantly lower than the predictions many had made – although she enjoyed more success in doubles, reaching No174.
That included four ITF titles, gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games and even a round-one appearance at her home major, the 2011 Australian Open.
Hopper and Monika Wejnert lost 6-1 6-2 in what proved to be the only Grand Slam match of the former prodigy’s career.
She quit tennis aged 20 with £25,000 in prize money from the sport and – after a stint as a tournament director in Istanbul – turned her focus to the law.
With six different university courses under her belt, most recently a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne, and her brimming CV helped her secure a job at Melbourne firm Lorraine Jones and Associates, who specialise in family and sports law.
And she has now worked her way all the way up to being a director and partner.
On a personal level, she and partner Matt welcomed baby daughter Winter in March 2023 and then got engaged nine months later.
Hopper added: “I look back and it could have all been so different because of course, being so young and being successful and then dad going to prison and then (me) not achieving success.
“It was all really tough and could have easily gone another way. But I really attribute any success I have had to my parents.
“They are amazing support and amazing guidance. To this day, I still call them for every decision that I make in my life, and they are great guiding lights.”