I love the subject of tennis. I remember making the tennis team my sophomore year of high school. I thought it was such a big deal. To me, at that age, it actually was a big deal. And I would come to find out- there’s a lot that the game of tennis taught me in my professional life. Because, life is a game after all, isn’t it?

My senior year, we went to state and were humbled pretty quickly. We got our tails handed to us, but learned a lot along the way. 

Now, enough about my high school glory days. Seriously.

The North Atlanta High School girls’ tennis team qualified for the state championships this week. They are 3-12. 

No, no, I got that right. Three wins, 12 losses this season.

Through perfect alignment amongst the stars, and the help of their best player Emma Kurtz, this is their second time in school history they’ve qualified for state. 

I think they call that the making of “A Cinderella Story.”

Oh, I forgot to mention one thing.

Emma Kurtz isn’t just their best player. She’s THE best player in the state of Georgia. That’s according to the USTA Junior Rankings. 

Let me keep going.

She’s also ranked #21 in the nation and #6 in the southeast. 

Juggling soccer games and tennis matches along with homework and ACT Prep is all in a day’s work for Emma. 

She’s been playing tennis since she was 5 years old. The daughter of two athletes, she tries to find balance in the middle of her athletic life. 

I’m pretty sure she also has friends. So then there’s that, too.

Her athleticism comes as no surprise. Her mother is Italian and arrived in America at the age of 18 to play tennis for the College of Charleston. Her father played soccer at the College of Charleston. And I’m sitting here wishing I had DNA like that. 

Emma is only a junior at North Atlanta but has already committed to play tennis in the SEC at Vanderbilt University. 

There are a few things that made that decision an easy one.

She says she wasn’t in a rush to make a decision, but when Vandy offered her a full ride when she visited late last year, it was an offer she wanted, and would be crazy not to accept.

“I loved it there,” she says. “The coaches are really good and the girls were super nice.” 

They also won the National Championship last year. And Emma sees a lot of promise in their program. Not to mention, she felt right at home. Her grandfather also lives in Nashville and follows the program closely.

YOU HAD ME AT ‘HARDWARE’

What can I tell ya, she’s a girl who knows what she wants. 

“I cancelled my trips to Georgia and Virginia after that,” she says.

Emma thought about the possibility of playing both soccer and tennis at Vandy. But her body wouldn’t have liked that too much. The injury risk is simply too high. 

Plus, Vandy’s tennis team is more accomplished than their soccer team and that holds value when you’re as serious as she is about a collegiate career. In addition to that, she doesn’t feel the pressure on the tennis court the way she does on the soccer field. 

“I’m one of those girls who feels terrible when I make a mistake. Tennis takes more skill and is mentally challenging.” 

You can say that again.

“Tennis is very mental,” says her primary tennis coach Stephen Diaz of the Stephen Diaz Tennis Academy in Marietta, Georgia. “She’s already proven herself at the junior level, but now it’s time to prove herself at the college level, and the mental side becomes a big deal.”

A dual athlete, Emma started taking tennis more seriously about a year and a half ago, says Diaz. In such a short time, she has made incredible strides in her game. “It’s very mentally draining. For her to be able to handle the stress of the competition, that’s pretty impressive. It’s one of the hardest things to do,” he adds.

Emma has played in national and international tournaments to strengthen her game. She thinks that by the time she gets to Vandy, she could be playing singles.

“I would hope. I don’t want to start too high, there’s a lot of pressure.”

But from the sounds of it… Emma doesn’t seem like the type to shy away from pressure. 

And as if she wasn’t talented enough… Emma and her 3 other siblings all speak fluent Italian. Although she is unsure what her major will be when she enrolls at Vanderbilt, she is more of a “math and science person.” Woof.

She also might major or minor in a language or perhaps international business. 

Whatever she does, the way her primary coach sees it, the sky is the limit for Emma. “I’ll be sad to see her go, but I want what’s best for her,” says Diaz. “You gotta have that crazy passion because you’re on your own in that sport.”  

But for a dedicated student and a disciplined athlete, that’s never been questioned. “She has a passion for the game all the way through.”

Now, back to MY tennis glory days………………….. umm, THE END.