Stanford Cardinal rising star Angelica Blake kindly granted an interview to Tennis World USA, during which she touched on many subjects: from her season with Cardinal to her future as an expert tennis participant. Angelica, born in Abington, Pennsylvania, moved to England when she was 5 and lived there for 3 years, earlier than returning to USA. With Stanford, she has achieved unbelievable outcomes all through her educational and athletic profession, in any respect levels: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate. Most lately—as Graduate Scholar—the Pac-12 Participant of the Week, on February 27, 2024 (right here you’ll be able to learn all her milestones with Stanford). Within the interview, Angelica advised in depth about balancing the lifetime of an athlete with educational objectives, revealed her sources of inspiration and opened up about her post-Stanford future.
You had a really optimistic yr with Stanford; how would you charge your 2024?
“It’s tough to charge my 2024 season at Stanford on a scale, however I feel it was very optimistic. I actually loved the environment of faculty tennis and know our cohesiveness made us such a robust crew.”
What was an important and most disappointing second of the season, each on a private and crew viewpoint?
“A very powerful second for me throughout season was defeating NC State within the spherical of 16 of NCAA’s. It was so particular as a result of it was the final match at Taube Tennis Stadium, which is being torn down and renovated, this summer season. There have been so many superb matches, moments, and gamers within the stadium, so for us to beat the crew that defeated us the earlier yr within the semifinals of NCAA’s within the final match ever within the stadium is a second I’ll all the time cherish. Essentially the most disappointing second was dropping to Georgia within the quarterfinals. We had been coming off of such a very good win towards NC State and felt very assured going into the following spherical however, for some motive, we couldn’t fairly get the power going that was wanted to beat a high quality crew like Georgia. There was plenty of put on and tear from so many powerful matches performed all through the season that we had been fairly drained in direction of the top of the match. The circumstances had been fairly powerful for our crew being that it was very humid and windy, in Oklahoma, whereas the courts performed sluggish, so it wasn’t simple competing someplace we weren’t fairly acclimated to and already not feeling our greatest. It was disappointing as a result of we take such confidence in one another and actually believed we might win the match, however in hindsight these are the moments that make our crew stronger and every thing occurs for a motive.”
What are the difficulties in pursuing a sporting profession alongside a tutorial profession?
“Discovering the steadiness between teachers and athletics requires such a elementary understanding of self-discipline and time administration, particularly at a college like Stanford. As somebody who desires to go skilled, it’s crucial to work extraordinarily exhausting on court docket and within the health club as a result of you aren’t solely attempting to be higher to your crew, but additionally for your self as you realize tennis solely will get more durable going ahead. School is such a novel alternative as a result of you might have so many assets obtainable to you akin to facilities like a health club, a coach, coaches, a coaching middle for damage prevention and restoration, and advisors so it’s important for student-athletes to capitalize on the alternatives obtainable and use them to propel them into phenomenal athletes. When it comes to teachers, you’ll be able to be taught a lot at a college like Stanford. The data you be taught is so precious and will help in so many features, together with the qualities that make a robust champion and chief which interprets to an expert profession. Discovering the steadiness between capitalizing on superb teachers and athletics is so vital.”
Stanford has an excellent sporting and educational custom; what’s going to your school years depart you with?
“School has helped me mature in so some ways. It’s taught me tips on how to prioritize teachers and athletics in a manner that I didn’t prior to school. My freshman yr I wasn’t maximizing my skills as an athlete. I didn’t all the time work as exhausting as I might. I realized that if you’re not giving your full effort then there isn’t any level in enjoying. Over time, I turned far more disciplined and targeted on the court docket and within the health club. I improved a lot as a participant and have become such a greater athlete. I felt quicker on the court docket and it was due to my exhausting work. I labored actually exhausting in my teachers and realized a lot from my research. I’m so grateful for going to Stanford additionally due to the individuals I’ve met. I’ve made so many unbelievable associates and realized a lot from assembly so many individuals from various backgrounds which have actually formed my expertise. I’m so grateful for my coaches, teammates, associates, professors, trainers, advisors, and mentors.”
Like a lot of your colleagues, you are actually confronted with a alternative: pursue a tennis profession or a tutorial profession. Do you have already got a plan A and a plan B?
“I plan on pursuing an expert profession. I really feel like I’ve been bettering while at Stanford, so I actually need to give myself the chance to compete on the skilled stage. It’s such a novel expertise and I actually need to go for it and benefit from the course of. I’ve a Political Science diploma with a spotlight in pre-law, so I plan on attending regulation faculty after enjoying professionally.”
What are the tennis expertise that you just need to work on, if you would like to strategy an expert profession?
“I’ve sadly struggled with some accidents in my proper shoulder which have hindered my capability to actually go after my serve. I feel that’s an important element of tennis, so I actually need to work on bettering my serve now that my shoulder is therapeutic. I prefer to play aggressively on high of the baseline and take the ball early and are available ahead once I can, so I feel having a extremely robust serve will intensify the opposite components of my sport so I hope to enhance that in my profession.”
American ladies’s tennis is present process a optimistic generational change: other than Coco Gauff, who do you assume are the younger gamers who will be capable to aspire to vital ends in the approaching months?
“American’s ladies’s tennis is so robust proper now. It’s very nice to see school gamers making a seamless transition to the skilled tour. Gamers like Emma Navarro and Peyton Stearns present how a lot the extent in school tennis has improved and encourage these in school to pursue an expert tennis profession.”
Who’re your sources of inspiration, in tennis and in on a regular basis life?
“My inspiration in my on a regular basis life is my mother. I aspire to be like her in so some ways. She’s such an unbelievable particular person. There have been so many superb tennis gamers which have impressed me. My favourite gamers rising up had been Roger Federer and Kim Clijsters. I beloved how they had been so calm, cool, and picked up but so tenacious, gritty, and targeted. They had been so respectful on and off the court docket and I actually attempt to emulate that.”
Managing stress, expectations and psychological well being: how do you strategy these points in school tennis?
“Managing stress and expectations in school tennis isn’t a straightforward activity, however you will need to understand stress is simply a problem in the event you give it that capability. I actually attempt to deal with the issues I can management so I don’t fear about stress. So long as I’m working exhausting and doing the very best I can, that’s all that issues. Rankings, seedings, and opponents don’t matter if you’re current within the second and targeted on what you are able to do to be the very best participant you will be. That’s the mindset my crew and I prefer to have going into our matches.”
Who actually is Angelica Blake and what does she need to obtain in her life and profession?
“I need to be somebody who has a optimistic impression on individuals on and off the court docket by inspiring individuals to have the arrogance to go for it in each side of their lives whether or not that’s in sports activities, teachers, or in a piece profession. I need individuals to see me as somebody who’s humble and respectful and works exhausting for every thing. I need to assist individuals in any capability I can, and I hope I can do this by inspiring individuals to be targeted and by no means lose sight of the values which can be so vital.”
