University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Q&A with Clara Mantaux from Women's Tennis, delivered by RoadRunnerApp.com
5/22/2020 12:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis
In this Q&A feature article, you will "Get to Kneaux" tennis' Clara Mantaux. The Montbeliard, France native finsihed this past season with a perfect 7-0 record.
1. What has become your daily routine during quarantine?
CM: During quarantine, I have been trying to stay busy as much as I can. Unfortunately, in France, we are in quarantine lockdown since the day we came back, so I did not have a chance to hit the ball since then. Although, at home, I have been working out, playing piano, cooking or sewing masks. As my daily routine, I wake up around 10 a.m., get breakfast and try to spend my time in the house. I don't usually do the same thing over and over every day because I like to change it up. I have been learning new things and learning is a great way to spend time.
2. How have you and your teammates stuck together remotely during this challenging time period?
CM: We tried to stay in touch as much as we can. Facetime was a great way to call each other and see how our teammates are doing. Outside of the court, we built relationships and we don't need to be close to each other to care about them. Taking news of each other is very natural.
3. An important question: what is your favorite food?
CM: Italian food is my favorite kind of food. My favorite dishes are Carbonara Pasta and Sage Polenta. My mother is Italian and loves to cook, she makes the best Italian dishes. She gave me her love for cooking, and nothing is better than homemade food.
4. Take us back to when you decided to come to the University and become a Ragin' Cajun. What about the school helped you make that decision?
CM: I studied at San Jose State University in California for one year and a half before I decided to transfer. UL was my first choice because I knew a few girls on the team and I talked to coach Vallejos in the past. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to visit but I feel like pictures were enough. The campus and complex looked amazing. The training room, weight room and tennis courts are athletic facilities that everyone would want to train at. Everything was beautiful and I certainly do not regret my choice.
5. What is your earliest sports memory?
CM: As a kid, I wanted to play every sport I could. My dad played soccer his entire life and wanted me to be like him. I started playing soccer but after two years, I wanted to change it up and try a new sport: tennis. My sister wanted to try as well, so we both registered for tennis classes. Turned out, I was playing well and enjoying my time on court. I continued playing all these years and I never enjoyed it more.
6. Growing up, your sports hero was who? And why?
CM: Growing up, I had a few sports heroes but the one that I admired the most was Maria Sharapova. She is a very brave tennis player and have this outstanding eccentric sportsmanship spirit. Her style of game, her mentality on the court or even outside of the court are always something that inspired me. Aggressive baseliner with power and depth, I have always wanted to play and be like her. Like she said "I want my tennis to speak for everything ", I can relate to this quote because I also want my tennis to speak for everything.
7. What is your major, and what about it do you like most?
CM: Majoring in Finance with a minor in International Business. I have always liked Mathematics, and Finance is a great way for me to keep up with that while studying business at the same time. Financial planning, investment decisions and analyzing expenses are various aspects that I enjoy learning.
8. What are your plans after your academic and athletic career at Louisiana is done?
CM: When my academic and athletic career at UL is done, I would like to start a master either in Accounting or Economics to expand my school curriculum. After that, I hope I will be able to start working in the US. I will try to play tennis as much as I can throughout these years to be able to keep a regular sporting activity.
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