'I wasn't allowed to call my parents' - Wimbledon star brokedown in tears after realising she only had £19 left

Carson Branstine has opened up on the financial struggles that plagued her early career as she fought to make a name for herself in professional tennis.

The 25-year-old is currently ranked No.174 in the world, having turned professional in 2024 after shining as a college athlete in both Southern California and Texas.

Branstine burst onto the world stage last year when she defeated French Open semifinalist Loïs Boisson, former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu and Raluca Șerban to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw.

Things didn't get any easier for the Canadian when she was drawn to face world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in the first round of her only Grand Slam appearance to date. She was brushed aside in the first set to lose 6-1 on Court No.1, but impressed as she fell to a narrow 7-5 loss in the decisive second set.

She has yet to qualify for another Grand Slam event and will miss out on a place at Wimbledon this summer after she suffered an injury in qualification for the Australian Open at the start of the year.

Branstine has taken up modelling to help finance her sporting ambitions, but she even worked as a delivery driver for Uber Eats to help fulfill her tennis dreams.

"When you play ITF tournaments and finance your own life as a young athlete, everything is very expensive. I live in Southern California, and just filling up the tank was seriously draining my bill," Telegraf.rs.

"I remember one morning, a couple of weeks before I played my first WTA final in Cancun, I looked at my account balance and only had $26 (£19). I thought about how I'm going to finance myself for the tournament now.

"I cried. I called my friends, but I wasn't allowed to call my parents. If they found out, they would be very angry. I just said to myself, 'Don't think too much. Do it.' And so after training, I drove around Los Angeles and delivered dinners to people."

It is estimated that Branstine earned roughly £66,000 when she qualified for the Wimbledon main draw, but she continues to rely on modelling to support her tennis career for now. She added: "I love being in front of the camera during a shoot.

"It's fun, I love fashion. It's been one of the reasons I've been able to pay for some of my trips. I didn't want to ask my parents for anything. I wanted everything to come from me and from my tennis.

"I wasn't signed by these agencies because of my tennis, it was for my look. Modelling and tennis are weirdly similar, you are an object a lot, and people sometimes forget you're a person too."