Twenty-three year old Lizette Cabrera is a Filipina-Australian tennis player who supports the Connecting Through Sport program that launched at the Welcome Sports Festival in Toowoomba and Brisbane.
The Australian Government-funded event was a weekend-long festival that aimed to increase participation in sport from refugees, migrants, women and girls, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and international students by providing a free four-week sports training program.
Cabrera herself grew up in Townsville after her parents immigrated from the Philippines. She was the first Filipino woman to ever make the Women’s Tennis Association World rankings at the age of 20 and hopes to inspire other women and young girls to pursue sport to increase participation, diversity and inclusion in sport from the grassroots level right through to the world stage.
Ranking 6th in the country, Cabrera began her tennis career at just four years old when her parents introduced her to the sport. The family of five moved to Brisbane so she could continue to pursue her tennis career professionally.
Cabrera’s father’s death in September of 2020 inspired her more than ever to continue to challenge herself to push past her limits, as well as inspire others. She hopes to inspire other women and young girls — from all sorts of backgrounds — to pursue sport and increase participation, diversity, and inclusion in the sport from a grassroots level all the way up to the world stage.
When she’s not playing tennis, Cabrera loves celebrating her cultural roots through food, singing, and dance.
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