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Commitment Profile
Spring Signing Week '15: Zalewski Commits to the Demon Deacons
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Joanna Zalewski didn't start playing tennis until she was 11. Until then, her favorite sport was fencing. She played her first tennis tournament at 12, and she won it.

She's been coached primarily by her parents, Robert and Lucy, who never played much tennis themselves. She attends a public school and doesn't belong to a tennis academy.

It's not the usual path or profile for one of the Top 20 recruits in the country, but Zalewski has made it work. Earlier this spring, she ended a long recruitment and committed to Wake Forest. She is ranked No. 19 nationally in the class of 2015 by TennisRecruiting.net.

"I wasn't phenomenal those first few years," Zalewski said. "I was awful at first. If I had a win here or a win there, it made me pretty happy. At age 14, I started getting better. It was a lot of work. I just made a habit of getting better. Right after school, I'd get on the courts. Let's do it. I practiced every day."

Zalewski just out-worked most other players. That's also her style in matches, too. She grinds and doesn't quit.

The summer of 2014 was another turning point. That's when she began training with Rich Reyes at CenterCourt Athletic Club in Morristown, N.J. Reyes has made Zalewski's game more well-rounded.

"He's definitely helped me with my volleys and my transition game," she said. "I'm not a huge net player, but that's becoming a good part of my game."

Reyes also has guided Zalewski during the recruiting process, which she concedes was stressful. Most top prospects have made their college choice early in their senior year, if not sooner. Zalewski chose only a few weeks ago.

Zalewski heard about Wake from another player in Wake's 2015 class, Anna Ulyashchenko, of New York. Reyes and others encouraged Zalewski to give the ACC school a look. Wake won her over.

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Page updated on Monday, March 11, 2024
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