Amid her internal medicine research, Lizette Blankers will now play in the top of Dutch tennis 

Lizette Blankers, a PhD student at Erasmus MC, got promoted to the Eredivisie in tennis with her team TV Victoria this year. She was ranked 17th in the Netherlands during her bachelor years, and she didn’t expect the Eredivisie promotion to occur while she conducts a clinical trial on hypothyroidism. “If I play on the weekdays, I will just take a vacation day.”

Lizette’s love for tennis is unlike no other. Since being scouted by the Dutch Federation at the age of seven, tennis has been part of her daily routine since then. In 2018, she represented the university at the European University games and during her bachelor, she played top tennis. But the Eredivisie promotion she dreamed of was sudden. Also, because this will be the first time since 2006 that a Rotterdam-based tennis team will compete in the top division. Nonetheless, she is equally focused on her research job within medicine.

When there is a will, there is a way 

There are dozens of students at EUR who combine their sports careers with their studies; however, combining top sports with a PhD is a rare case. Although her work in medicine is as important, Lizette plans on playing and competing whenever possible ‘until I’m 90 years old’. “I always dreamed of being a top player, but I always really enjoyed combining tennis with something more intellectual. Combining both was more difficult during my bachelor, because I played more than I do now. But I think if you really want to, there is always a way to play.”

Throughout her bachelor and master years, Lizette’s topsport status allowed for more flexibility when combining sports with studies. She also plays in Germany for tennis club GHTC Mönchengladbach, where she competes in the second division. But now that she is fully immersed in her research job at the thyroid centre, flexibility and adjustments are required.  “Once I had a patient clinic on Wednesday, and on Thursday I was competing in Berlin. If I play on the weekdays, I will just take a vacation day.”

Career direction 

Despite playing tennis for most of her life and achieving promotion to the Eredivisie, she does not have any career aspirations in the sport. Instead, she wants to complete her PhD and continue specialising in the field of internal medicine. In fact, combining the two helps her deal with the pressure on the court. “There is a lot of pressure if you lose. For me, it’s always relaxing knowing I have a job. I always want to win and play my best, but when I lose, it is easier to deal with knowing that there is work the next day.”

Another factor that plays into Lizette’s pursuit of a job besides tennis is the scene of the sport. According to her, only the top 200 players in the world can make a living from competing in tennis. “It’s not like football, where you’re already loaded if you play in the highest national competition. So with tennis, it’s always nice to have a backup. When I play in competitions, what I earn is a nice extra.”

Expectations 

“It’s gonna be tough, but we have to be prepared”, shares Lizette as she envisages how the Eredivisie matches will unfold in May 2025. “It’s hard to compete against other players that play tennis as their full-time job. We didn’t expect to compete at the top, but we got promoted and we will play as good as we can.”

Regardless of the challenges, the matches at the highest level will prove to be beneficial, as Lizette learns a lot from competing at the sport. “Some aspects from playing can be translated into working in a hospital”, she says. “I’m not very worried when something goes wrong, because there is always a way around it. When there is stress in the emergency room, I can stay calm because I know how to deal with it from tennis.”