Tempe, AZ – Working in collaboration with the ITA Student-Athlete Council, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is proud to spotlight another college tennis figure in our monthly heritage month spotlights that aim to highlight the many diverse backgrounds that make up the sport of college tennis.
With March being Women’s History Month, the ITA is continuing to spotlight female student-athletes and coaches, allowing them to have a platform to share their stories and experiences. This week’s spotlight features Alison Ojeda from the University of Tennessee who has been a trailblazer in our sport when it comes to coaching and inspiring others through her dedication and hard work.
As a player, Ojeda earned over 100 singles and 100 doubles victories for the Lady Vols, just one of four players in program history to accomplish such a feat. During her senior year, Ojeda served as a captain for Tennessee’s first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance and would make three appearances in the NCAA Singles Championship and two appearances in the NCAA Doubles Championship during her career.
Making several stops at some of the nation’s top programs before returning to her alma mater as the head coach, Ojeda is currently in her ninth year at the helm of the Lady Vols. Coming off of a season in which Tennessee reached the NCAA Semifinals, Ojeda is the reining ITA Women’s National Coach of the Year and has been named the Ohio Valley Regional Coach of the Year on four occasions, including last year.
In this spotlight, Ojeda will share a little bit about herself and some of her experiences as a female athlete and coach in the tennis community and how she hopes to make an impact on future generations.
See what Alison had to say in this spotlight below:
How did you start playing tennis? What inspired you to pursue tennis at this level?
I started playing tennis at the Jewish community center when I was about eight or nine years old. There was one court that had cracks in it and it also had a backboard on the side fence, so it was often left unused. I’d come from the swimming pool and throw on a pair of shoes and just start hitting against the backboard. If I missed the ball, it would roll onto the next court and the older ladies would get mad at me. So, I learned to keep the ball going on the backboard.
Who were your role models or biggest supporters along the way? How did they influence your tennis career?
My role models along the way were definitely my parents. They, along with my sisters and my grandparents, were also my biggest supporters. We came from a family who valued time spent together, so often my tournaments became our family vacations. It was not fair to my sisters, so I’ve always made sure to thank them for the sacrifices they made as young kids. They could’ve been mad at me but supported me instead. I also remember a time when I overheard my parents arguing about finances. I told my mom that day in the car that I wanted to quit tennis. She turned around and asked why and I wouldn’t tell her. So my sister said that I heard them arguing about money. My mom said that they would figure everything out as long as it was something I still loved to do, which it was. So, I have always been incredibly thankful to them and always want to make sure I make them proud.
Did you face any challenges as a woman pursuing sports at a high level? If so, how did you overcome them?
Luckily, I feel like women have had a lot of opportunities in the sport of tennis because of the trailblazers like Billie Jean King and others who came before us. When I was nine, I wanted to play professional soccer, but that profession didn’t exist. So that’s why I chose tennis. The challenges I have faced have really come as I’ve grown older. As a female, I feel we are often underpaid compared to our male counterparts. We tend not to fight for an increase in salaries the way men do. Another challenge came when we decided to start a family. Thankfully, I work for an amazing administration that supports us coaches being moms.
What has been the most rewarding part of your coaching experience so far?
Definitely the relationships! I’m currently on the road competing with our team and we’re playing against a team whose coaching staff consists of one of our alumni. It’s so wonderful to be able to sit down and catch up with our former players and see how their career is going and also reminisce on their playing days at Tennessee. It’s also amazing to share our personal family with our player family.
Did you have a favorite female athlete you looked up to as a child? How did seeing this representation inspire you to pursue sports?
My two favorite female athletes were Monica Seles and Mia Hamm. I looked up to Monica because she played two hands on both sides, which is how I play. I learned by myself on the backboard, I didn’t know most players hit with one hand on their forehand; so when I learned of Monica, I thought, if she can do it, I can do it. As for Mia Hamm, I loved soccer as a kid and continued to follow Mia and our ‘99 team in the World Cup. Those women became a huge inspiration for me and so many of my friends. To this day, I still love watching ESPN’s 9 for 9 on them! I feel like they helped make playing sports as females exciting, fun and also doable with a family!
What advice would you give to young girls who dream of pursuing a career in sports?
I would advise anyone to follow their passion, especially if it leads to a healthy lifestyle and one they can make a living/career out of. I love tennis, but what I love most is the relationships. I feel so lucky that I get to wake up and live my dream every day.
How do you think college tennis, and college sports in general, could better support female athletes and coaches? Are there any specific changes or initiatives you’d like to see in college athletics to uplift women?
I think college sports could put together a general “nanny fund” that coaches can tap into when they need help continuing their career once they have a baby. I believe there are plenty of donors who would help make this happen. I also feel that female coaches would have higher salaries if they shared what they make, similar to men. However, women typically don’t share that information. If college sports made it easy to access an Excel sheet, I think they could let the numbers do the talking when you compare salaries to rankings. Another area in which I believe college sports could help female athletes is to teach them about fertility. Miscarriages happen frequently, I believe it’s nearly 1 out of 6 times. If young women knew ahead of time that they wanted to focus on their careers for their first 6-10 years after college, then they would benefit from knowing what their fertility options were. Often, women don’t realize they are “running out of time” until they are 10 years into their career and ready to start a family.
What impact or legacy do you hope to leave for your program or the sport overall?
I hope to impact my players’ lives off the tennis court more than on the tennis court. If my players can graduate from Tennessee with their degrees and use lessons learned and relationships made to help them become better friends, partners, mothers and spouses, then I would feel pretty good about the overall impact we were able to make. I saw this because there are a lot of coaches and support staff who pour so much into our student athletes.
