German wheelchair tennis star considering quitting job to focus on Rio 2016 as she claims "not enough" support is given in native country

World number five Sabine Ellerbrock says she is considering quitting her job to focus on Rio 2016 ©Getty Images

World number five Sabine Ellerbrock says the support for wheelchair tennis in her native Germany is “not enough” after revealing she has considered quitting her teaching job as part of her quest to win a medal at next year’s Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Ellerbrock, Germany’s top-ranked wheelchair tennis player, teaches subjects including maths, science and sports to 11 to 18 year-olds in the country and says she is struggling with finding a balance between work and success in her sport.

The 39-year-old competed at London 2012 but missed out on a place on the podium, succumbing to a straight sets defeat at the hands of Jiske Griffioen of The Netherlands in the bronze medal match.

“I could take unpaid leave like I did for London 2012, but I hope that I can work for the army for a year, who have a special programme for athletes,” she said.

“Without a job I am not able to cover all the costs – the support for wheelchair tennis in Germany is not enough.

“It has been a hard time due to the financial pressure I had to deal with every day.

“I had to give up a lot the past years to be able to live my dream of playing wheelchair tennis.

“If there is no way to combine teaching and tennis, I would always try to find another solution even if that would be a difficult way.”

Sabine Ellerbrock is targeting a better showing at Rio 2016 after she lost out in the bronze medal match at London 2012 ©Getty Images

The German is also hoping that by performing well at the Rio 2016 Paralympics she can help boost the profile of wheelchair tennis in the European nation.

“I love this sport, it helps me to deal with my disability and I made so many experiences which were worth all the tough times I had to go through,” she added.

“And at least I hope that I can be able to increase the awareness and attention for wheelchair tennis in Germany to make it easier for the upcoming generation.”

Ellerbrock, the 2014 Australian Open champion, goes in to next year’s Paralympic Games in the Brazilian city harbouring high hopes of bettering her performance at London 2012.

She also won the French Open two years ago before topping the world rankings and is now targeting success at Rio 2016.

“My goal is to win a medal in Rio and for that I will work as hard as I can,” Ellerbrock added.

“It would be huge to win gold.

“I guess everyone is dreaming of it and so do I.”