Edinburgh tennis prodigy hopes to encourage fellow deaf players to pick up a racket

When Vina Jamiolahmady was diagnosed as deaf at the age of just six, there were many aspects of life which became difficult.

The youngster had to undergo multiple surgeries to try to save her hearing, communicating with others was a daunting task and difficulties at school led to her often coming home frustrated and tearful.

But four years later, at the age of 10, Vina picked up a tennis racket for the first time - a move would see her compete against players almost twice her age and win a slew of medals.

Vina, who has competed as both a singles and a doubles player, even bagged third place in the U14 Road to Wimbledon East of Scotland County Final in June last year.

The 14-year-old said: “I began playing in tournaments and gradually became more competitive until I realised that I wanted to compete at international level. Last summer I set a goal for myself to get medals in Scottish tours, and I did it.

“It took hard work and determination. I practice six times a week, that’s around 10 hours.”

Vina has benefitted from one-to-one coaching sessions with the GB head coach Catherine Fletcher. | Vina Jamiolahmady

Last year, Vina was invited to play in the 2025 deaf national final – her first deaf tennis competition, where she lost on a tie-break to an opponent more than a decade older than her.

In May, she was invited to the Great Britain (GB) deaf tennis national camp. She took part in training sessions, match play and one-to-one coaching sessions with the GB head coach Catherine Fletcher.

Vina with another of her trophies | Mahmoud Jamiolahmady

Life changed for the St George’s School pupil when she received her diagnosis, which came after a long and challenging journey to fully understand her hearing loss.

At the age of three, Vina’s parents, Mahmoud and Mahboobeh, realised she wasn’t responding at nursery or at home.

She was referred to audiology and ENT and after countless tests, she had surgery for grommets - tiny tubes which are inserted into the eardrum. Two years later, she had a second operation for grommets.

But her hearing loss was still severe, and the grommets didn’t help.

Vina serving at a competition | Mahmoud Jamiolahmady

There have been frustrations at school, where Vina’s deafness impacted how her language developed, how her vocabulary grew and how she understood text.

Whilst school and authorities tried to help, an exhausted Vina often came home tearful and frustrated.

She said: “When I am with hearing people, sometimes they do not understand me, or they judge me. It’s frustrating and brings me down.

“However, I have learnt not to pay too much attention to this, and work hard to achieve my goals. I also note that when I meet other deaf people, I feel good: they are like me, and we can share the same thoughts. Deaf people are normally kind and do not judge others.”

Mahmoud and Mahboobeh said they have received incredible support from the National Deaf Children’s Society to help with Vina’s schooling – including help to find a specialist from the University of Edinburgh who assessed Vina and provided a comprehensive report, which the school was able to use to make the required adjustments.

But it is on the tennis court that Vina has found herself at her most calm, and where she has found her people.

She said: “It is fun to play tennis. Especially deaf tennis where you meet a lot of lovely and caring people, which makes me feel good.”

Vina has described Catherine Fletcher as one of her tennis heroes | Mahmoud Jamiolahmady

And there has been high praise from Catherine Fletcher, GB National Deaf Tennis Coach and one of Vina’s tennis role models.

Ms Fletcher: “I first met Vina at the National Championships last year and was immediately excited by the talent and potential she showed. She has been a real breath of fresh air, and it has been a pleasure to work more closely with her over the past year and her develop.

“Vina’s achievement highlights just how important it is to encourage young deaf people to follow their passion for tennis and connect with others who share similar experiences. She is a fantastic role model for the next generation of deaf players.

“Huge congratulations to Vina on joining the Deaf Tennis National Squad. I wish her every success on this exciting journey – we can’t wait to see what she achieves next.”

Don’t miss out on all of the Capital’s breaking news and biggest stories with our daily newsletter, click here to sign up

Vina said she would encourage any other young deaf people to pursue their dream.

She said: “The advice I’d give other deaf young people playing sport is this: don’t let anyone bring you down or tell you are not good enough. If you love the sport and have a dream, then try and pursue it – you will get there.”