She is plainly driven, very articulate and talks in brisk, slightly clipped tones as she considers what has brought her to the point where she appears to have the world on the tip of her racket. She has travelled a long way from the predominantly English-speaking Montreal suburb of West Mount.
'Even when I was much younger whatever I did I wanted to do it to the best of my abilities. When I came home from school I would be the one doing my homework while my siblings would be watching TV and putting it off until later. I was always very determined, and to excel at this sport you have to be really disciplined and motivated. I guess I'm just like that.
'Both my parents were athletic, they did recreational sports. My mum was at the WTA tournament in Montreal and she remembers watching Mary Pierce and thinking "why do my kids have to be figure skaters or skiers?"
'So Beatrice and I went to tennis groups aged five and we'd spend most of the time just doing games and only get to hit tennis balls at the end of it for ten minutes. I hated the stuff with balloons, I just wanted to hit balls. I asked my parents if I could play more so they put me in groups where there was more actual tennis and it went from there.
