Teenager Whitney Osuigwe is on a mission, not only to make her presence felt at next month’s Australian Open but to use tennis as a platform to provide opportunities for disadvantaged children throughout the United States.

It is a powerful message and a subject which the 18-year-old spoke passionately about before making the most of some time away from her hotel room amid ongoing pre-Grand Slam quarantining rules Down Under.

In part, Osuigwe’s off-court ambitions stem from the upbringing of her father, Desmond, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and, as a teenager, played several ITF tournaments. He was later indebted to tennis as he fled a country engulfed by violence in the 1980s.

Making his way to the United States, Desmond, who has previously revealed that at times “survival” was his biggest ambition, attended Jackson State University before turning professional, while he became an IMG Academy coach in 1997.

But in addition to her father’s backstory, Osuigwe, a name which means Warrior, is also shaped by her own experiences and visions of modern-day America, believing there is scope for her and others in a similar position to make a tangible difference.

“I grew up with a lot of opportunities and I still do have a lot of opportunities,” Osuigwe told itftennis.com. “But I also understand that a lot of kids don’t and didn’t have that.

“My dad was one of those and I grew up around a lot of kids who didn’t have opportunities. If somebody could have just given them opportunities then life would have turned out in a completely different way for them.

“That has nothing to do with them becoming a professional athlete or anything like that, they would simply be alive today, they wouldn’t be in jail today, so it goes much deeper than sports and I want to give people the opportunities to do what they want to do.

“With charity work, I often think the kids in America are overlooked because we are a developed country. We do have a lot of opportunities but there are definitely a lot of kids who don’t have opportunities.

“I believe I can use tennis as a platform to help. I do tutorials when I can, playing with young kids and getting them to sign up for tennis lessons so they stay out of trouble, but it is definitely something more for the future when I am able to give my 100 per cent best to it."

Osuigwe had hoped that knowledge of her father’s formative years and indeed her own heritage would have been informed by a visit to Nigeria in the last year or so, only for the Covid-19 pandemic to quash those plans.

It is a trip which she would like to revive once circumstances and travel restrictions permit, with the suggestion being that an understanding of the past might positively influence the future.

“My dad didn’t have the same opportunities as he was able to give me,” said Osuigwe. “He had more than some of the kids I have seen, but even with that, life wasn’t the same for him as it was for me.

“I most definitely want to learn about how my dad grew up, where he came from and why he is the way he is. It’s a part of me so I would like to know as much as I can and just get the experience of going there. It’s very important to me.”

The immediate future, however, is dominated by preparations for the Australian Open, which Osuigwe reached after defeating Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa, Olivia Gadecki of Australia and Mihaela Buzarnescu of Romania in qualifying earlier this month.

This will be Florida-born Osuigwe’s fifth appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam and, having never previously made the second round, the desire to land some on-court blows on the big stage burns brightly.

“I wouldn’t be playing if I didn’t think I was able to do that,” added Osuigwe, who revealed that TikTok is “taking up 85 per cent” of her time in quarantine, while Netflix, FaceTime and practising yoga are among her other pursuits.  

“I’m just so excited to be able to play the sport that I love. I know there is a lot of room for improvement, but I am just really focusing on being happy on court and the results will follow. Honestly, in terms of aims for 2021, I haven’t thought about it too much.

“Last year was a pretty rough year for everyone, and for me also due to outside circumstances, but I am truly and honestly focusing on one thing and that is enjoying myself on court. If I work hard as well then everything will fall into place.”

The difficult year to which Osuigwe alludes was certainly evidenced by her results, with only one match-win to her name across the whole of 2020, although it was a season of significant disruption.

But with a new campaign comes renewed hope, while it is easily forgotten than Osuigwe is still only 18 years of age, with her stellar junior career all but a distant memory.

In 2017 alone, the American won a Junior Grand Slam at Roland Garros, finished the year as the top-ranked girl on the planet – becoming an ITF World Champion in the process – and was an integral part of the USA’s victorious Junior Billie Jean King Cup team.

Despite the passing of time, Osuigwe insists not too much has changed – she still steps on court to I’m the Best by Nicki Minaj for starters – except perhaps a coming of age which sees her ready and willing to accept the latest set of challenges.  

“As a player, I have definitely kept my identity,” said Osuigwe, who is currently ranked No. 162 in the world. “I have improved a few things that I needed to work on that I’d need to be a top pro, because it is different being a top junior compared to a top pro.

“As for changing as a person, I am just more mature. I am still the same Whitney, just an older version, and I have big dreams and big goals.

“If I said I am where I want to be, I wouldn’t be setting my goals very high. At the same time, while there is always room for improvement, I wouldn’t say I’m not happy with where I am.

“As I say, I am just focusing on being happy on court. Knowing that my happiness comes first, I am confident that results will follow.”