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Where Are They Now?
Checking in with Former USC Standout Amanda Fink
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It's been 10 years since Amanda Fink was the No. 3 women's college tennis prospect in the country.

Amanda Fink was a standout at USC
courtesy, Ventura County Star
Fink did well on those projections. She was a two-time All-American, the National Rookie of the year in 2006 and a two-time PAC 10 doubles champion at Southern Cal. As a senior, she won the Pac 10 singles title, her proudest accomplishment. Fink played professionally for nearly three years and reached the top 300 in the world.

"It's been 10 years since I started college, wow," Fink said. "I didn't realize it's been that long. That's definitely insane. Those days in junior tennis and college really stick out. We love reliving the glory days. It seems like yesterday to me."

Things are still going well for Fink. In March, she will be honored as the San Diego USPTA "Pro of the Year." This summer, she will be inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

TennisRecruiting.net recently caught up with Fink, who is now the first assistant to the tennis director at the Santaluz Club in San Diego, and asked her several questions about her life in tennis.

In this question-and-answer, Fink explains why she's loving what she never thought she'd do - teach tennis for a living. She also reveals the most under-utilized training strategy for junior players, and what East Coast school she wishes she had considered when she was a blue-chip recruit in 2005.

 

Questions and Answers

Tennis Recruiting (TR): What do you do at your job?

Amanda Fink (AF): I'm one of the people teaching the most lessons. I have lot of teaching hours on court. I do everything from ladies drills, playing with college to upper-level adult players, teaching private lessons to 5.0 players all the way down to tiny tots with red balls, 4-years-old. I help the director with everything he needs to do like organizing mixers and events for the club. When he's gone, I will take over some of his responsibilities. I'm starting to get some managerial and administrative work, which is good experience for me.

I also serve as a vice president on the San Diego Division's USPTA board. I help with programming that aids in coaching education as well as events for San Diego's Tennis community. Being involved with this board alone made my certification requirements to have a USPTA rating worth it. I get to throw an event called College Knowledge, which serves to educate coaches and families about the opportunities and experience of playing college tennis: Everything from Tennis on Campus to earning a scholarship at a D-I school and what it takes to play.

 

TR: How did become a teaching pro?

AF: I played almost three years on the tour. I stopped [in 2012] because the traveling aspect wore me down. I'm not a huge fan of living out of a suitcase. It was time to take a break. I wasn't sure I was completely done, but my parents said why don't you teach a couple of lessons and get your coaching certification through the USPTA while you figure it out. I ended up staying put. When I stopped playing on the tour, I thought the last thing I'd want to do is stay in the game and coach, but the more I did it, the more fond of it I became. It was the natural thing to do. [Fink also worked at her hometown club, The Calabasas Tennis and Swim Center in Calabasas, Calif., and at the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., before coming to the Santaluz Club.]

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Page updated on Monday, March 11, 2024
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