Carson Branstine’s Tennis Quest has been a Journey of Self-Discovery  

Carson Branstine’s story is the kind that inspires books and scripts books to be written. Sure, her cousin is World Series champion Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and she won a pair of junior Grand Slam doubles titles with Bianca Andreescu in 2017 at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, but above all, her tennis journey is one of perseverance, drive, a sense of belonging, and motivational victories, both on and off the court.

Branstine was born and raised in California, but she has dual citizenship thanks to her mom who is Canadian. She represented the United States as a junior but was always enamored by the idea of playing for Canada. The switch began in 2016 at an ITF tournament in Rancho Sante Fe where she earned her first WTA ranking points after defeating fellow Canadian Carol Zhao in qualifying. Her and her mom met with the Tennis Canada coach traveling with Zhao who convinced them to visit the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in Montreal. The rest is history.

“I felt like it was home for me immediately. For the first time, I actually felt like I belonged somewhere fully, and it felt so natural for me to want to go there so I said you know what, I am doing this. I am Canadian, I want to play for Canada, I want to do something I am proud of. It’s made a huge difference because if it weren’t for Tennis Canada, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the position I’m in today.”

– Carson Branstine

After her stint at the NTC, Branstine opted to go the NCAA route and found another tennis home at Texas A&M University. She had the time of her life winning three SEC titles and a historic NCAA championship for the school in the spring of 2024 alongside her compatriot Mia Kupres. In the classroom, she earned an Ethics and Law degree and gave herself the option to take the LSAT and pursue law school if she so chooses. She also double-minored in Psychology and Sport Management. The heavy course load as a student-athlete speaks to her ambition and wanting to take full advantage of the opportunity tennis gave her.

Still though, the path paved for Branstine has been anything but smooth. In addition to dealing with challenges in her personal life, she’s also caught a bad case of the injury bug, undergoing surgeries on both her hips and both her knees which took away five years of crucial tennis development time. Through it all, she’s leaned on her support system, who make her feel understood, who care about her well-being, and who appreciate her for the person she is. The adversity has only strengthened her resolve and she’s definitely not ready to turn her back on the sport that has given her so much, become such a big part of her identity, and shaped her into the person she’s become.

“I’ve had every reason to give up on tennis given my injuries and setbacks, but the sky is the limit,” Branstine explained. “I don’t put a limit on myself, I believe I can compete and beat any player in the world. I think my tennis is there, I know I have the talent, and I know I’m going to work for it. I want to give myself the best chance possible to make my dreams come true in this sport that I have been playing my entire life.”

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With her health woes finally in the rearview mirror, the 24-year-old has shifted her focus to her pro career which has taken off in 2024 thanks to three ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour titles, including her biggest win yet at the W75 tournament in Sumter, South Carolina this spring. She’s won 43 of the 58 singles matches she’s played and reached a career-high ranking of no. 252.

It’s not lost on Branstine that she’s part of the growing women in sports movement. She’s full of admiration for her fellow female athletes and colleagues and especially pleased that tennis allows women and girls to thrive.

 “The sacrifice to be a woman in sports is incredibly brave,” Branstine said. “If you’re strong and you’re going to work hard, it doesn’t matter where you come from or if you’re a woman, you can do it and I think tennis is the biggest representation of that in sports because the schedule is crazy, it’s no joke, but we’re doing it. Just seeing the physical and mental strength of these women, it makes me emotional talking about it. Every single year it just gets more competitive. The depth, the level, the athleticism, and the dedication to our craft. It’s really special to be a part of. It’s something I’m proud of, it’s something I love to talk about, and I just hope it can reach a lot of young women and show them that anything is possible.”

You can make a difference for players like Carson Branstine and ensure that Victory will be HERS by contributing to Tennis Canada’s Game. Set. Equity. initiatives which aim to advance equity for women and girls at all levels of the tennis ecosystem in Canada.

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