Alex Kim Photo Gallery | 2014 ITA Men’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Dominating the college tennis scene during his time at Stanford (1997-2001), Alex Kim left an extraordinary stamp on the program. As a two-time ITA All-American, Kim was also named an All-Pac-10 honoree three times, including being tabbed the 2000 Pac-10 Co-Player of the Year with teammate Geoff Abrams, the 2001 Pac-10 Player of the Year and the 2001 Pac-10 Doubles Team of the Year with K.J. Hippensteel.
Kim won the NCAA singles title in 2000 and was part of the ITA Men’s Team Indoor Championships and NCAA Team Championships in both 1998 and 2000. Prior to his graduation from Stanford, Kim competed on tour, receiving a berth in the main draw of the U.S. Open due to his NCAA victory. Kim would go on to compete in each of the Grand Slam events, reaching the third round of the Australian Open in 2003.
Alex Kim was inducted into the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014.
To learn more about Alex Kim and his journey within college tennis, check out our Q&A with him below.
Can you explain your journey to college tennis and the thought process behind your decision to play at the collegiate level.
College was always a high priority for my family and me, and my parents instilled in me how tennis, along with a rigorous education, could be a pathway to attend a top university. Further, I was lucky to grow up with Paul Goldstein (another Hall of Famer) and his unbelievable junior tennis success rubbed off on me. In my junior days, all the top US juniors (Goldstein, Gimelstob, Bryan & Bryan, etc) went to college for at least a year. While I was not quite at their level, I was close, and following in their footsteps to play college tennis was a no-brainer.
What were some of the most memorable collegiate tennis experience(s)?
Playing in hostile environments was always most memorable. We had an intense rivalry with USC and UCLA, and some of their fans would always try to get under my skin (they faced the same at Stanford!). Little did they know, they were making me more focused and determined to win. Another example is in Athens, GA where we had the privilege to play the NCAAs all 4 years. I loved how passionate the Bulldog fans were, and how the whole town would embrace the Championships. Playing Georgia, in Athens, in the team finals, in my first NCAAs, was an experience I’ll never forget.
There are so many more examples, but I’d also mention my freshman year, playing with Paul Goldstein, Ryan Wolters, Geoff Abrams and Bob and Mike Bryan. They were all people I looked up to or battled with in the juniors, and we were all friends. To be able to practice and compete with my close friends at a school like Stanford was truly a treat.
How did these experiences impact your collegiate career and what did you learn from these experiences that you have taken with you after college?
Playing college tennis helped me on the pro tour immensely, especially after surviving environments like Athens and UCLA!
What advice would you share and give to current and future collegiate tennis student-athletes?
College tennis is the perfect environment for you to groom important skills in tennis and/or life.
If you dream of becoming a successful pro, embrace the process of figuring out how to win. “Learning to win” is a skill, and it takes repetition, but once you turn pro, you will be faced with a lot of losses. In college, you will face “easier” competition with more opportunities to win. You won’t win all the time, but when you do, try to analyze how you did it!
And if you have no intentions to turn pro, embrace the team aspects of college tennis such as pushing each other and dealing with teammates/opponents/coaches who you may have issues with. There’s a reason employers and graduate schools prefer student-athletes, but it’s up to you to learn from these experiences to become a better teammate, player and person.
About the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s and Women’s Halls of Fame aspire to preserve and celebrate the history and further the development of intercollegiate tennis through the collection of historic memorabilia and with inductions of notable players, coaches, and contributors.
About the ITA – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body and coaches association of college tennis, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. Comprised of 1,260 colleges and universities, 20,000 student-athletes, 1,700 varsity programs, 3,000 coaches, and 1,350 college tennis officials, the ITA empowers college tennis coaches at all levels to deliver vibrant tennis programs that are vital to their college communities and transformational to their student-athletes. Follow the 2023-24 college tennis season on the ITA website and ITA social channels on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
