University of Houston Athletics
Kordolaimi Finds Home on Pro Tour
7/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
HOUSTON â€" The life of a professional tennis player can be a tough adjustment after moving on from the college game, but for Houston Cougar alumna Elena Kordolaimi, the transition has been made easier due to her immediate success on the court. Kordolaimi knows what being a student-athlete at the University of Houston meant to her development, not only as a player on the court, but in life as well.
Just over a year removed from finishing up her collegiate career, Kordolaimi has already begun to make a name for herself on the professional tennis tour. Though she is still trying to adjust to life on the road, she has already found success, compiling a 26-17 singles record this season, and claiming both the singles and doubles titles at the $10,000 Sharm El Sheikh earlier this month in Egypt.
"Life on the tour is quite lonely and it definitely has many ups and downs, but it is how I expected it to be," Kordolaimi said. "Every individual sport is lonely, especially on a pro level, but what keeps you going on a daily basis is the goals you have set to achieve in order to succeed and get where you want to be."
Life on the tour is a night-and-day difference from what Kordolaimi was used to while playing at the friendly confines of John E. Hoff Courts. Kordolaimi grew to appreciate not only the bond that she shared with her coaches and teammates, but the interaction that she could share with the fans on match day. At the John E. Hoff Courts, fans sit courtside, right behind the players, which makes for a raucous and fun environment on match day.
"The biggest difference between college tennis and professional tennis is during college an individual sport can also become a team sport," Kordolaimi said. "You have your teammates and coaches cheering for you on the sideline, and you have your coaches even sitting on your bench during the match coaching you. However, in pro tennis there is nothing like that. Once you step on the court it's all on you. You are on your own. At Houston, it was always nice to feel like I was part of a family, and there were always people to take care of me."
One of the relationships Kordolaimi was fortunate to forge was with Head Coach Courtney Steinbock. Kordolaimi never played for Steinbock at Houston, but through word of mouth from former players, was able to see what she means to the sport of tennis and the University of Houston.
"I didn't really have any connection with Coach Steinbock until a few months after she got the job at Houston," Kordolaimi said. "That summer, I met two former college tennis players she coached, and both told me great things about her, even though they were from two different schools. That was when I reached out to her, and we started talking. Whether being a coach, an athlete or whatever profession a person is doing, when you hear great things about that specific person from different people, then it means that they must be doing things right."
Kordolaimi knows that having the right coaching staff in place is not the only thing that makes being a student-athlete at the University of Houston special. She is forever grateful for the access to all the resources that she had at Houston that helped in her journey as an athlete and as a person.
"Houston prepared me for the tour in more off-court aspects than the on-court," Kordolaimi said. "Having to juggle between classes and tennis while giving your best effort in both was not an easy task. Through it all, I got to improve my multitasking skills. I learned the right way to manage my time in order to get things done the most efficient way possible and how to block out everything non-tennis related once I step on the court. All these off-court aspects have played an important role in my tennis career and have shaped me to the person and athlete that I am today."
Through all of her hard work in her career, Kordolaimi is still able to slow down and find all the positives of the life as a professional athlete. She knows that being a student-athlete at Houston was a gateway to everything she's accomplishing in her career now, but that the lessons will continue to come throughout her life.
"My favorite part is getting to travel to all these different places in the world that I wouldn't have ever been to if it wasn't for tennis," Kordolaimi said. "I've been able to meet people from all kinds of cultures, religions and ethnicities and see ways that people live their life but also the standards they live in from one place to the other. Traveling has taught me a lot about life and about appreciating the things that sometimes you take for granted."
As Kordolaimi continues to have success and move up in the world rankings, she's already improved over 400 spots from last year to No. 603 in the worl,, she will always remember what the University of Houston and all of the relationships that came with it meant to her.
"I would like to thank all of the people at the University of Houston who helped me and gave me their absolute best in order to make it a great experience," Kordolaimi said. "A special thanks goes out to all my teammates because without them my years and experience at the University of Houston would not be as amazing, unique and as unforgettable as they were."
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