Number one tennis player commits to Florida

Florida’s women’s tennis team has been very successful recently; winning two consecutive national championships.

With all of that success comes the opportunity for Florida to recruit top tennis players from across the country.

This week, the Gators landed a commitment from the number one ranked tennis player according to tennisrecruiting.com.

That player is Planation (Fla.) High’s Alexandra Kiick, who has been ranked the top player in the country three straight years.

Kiick had the opportunity to turn pro, but the decision to attend Florida was an easy one for her she says.

“Well ever since I was a little girl I have loved all sports,” Kiick said. “In fact, I can say I have played most of them. So, I wanted to go to a school that was really involved in sporting events. Florida has such a supportive atmosphere, and for me that’s important.”

While Kiick could have went anywhere and been successful, she says the success of the Gators recently was a huge reason for her deciding to be a Gator.

“Absolutely it had an impact on my decision,” Kiick said. “I plan on playing in the pros eventually so playing and practicing against the top players which Florida has is important. Also, all the girls are so sweet which definitely had a huge impact on my decision.”

The combination of a number one ranking and early career success, Kiick is confident  she can immediately help her teammates at Florida.

“I want to help my teammates,” Kiick said. “Hopefully my success, hard work and dedication can help encourage other players to work hard and not give up.”

Kiick’s father is also none other than former Miami Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, who played for the Dolphins from 1970-1974 and was on the famous 1972 undefeated team.

Florida will lose senior Lauren Embree who is currently ranked number one in the country, so adding someone of Kiick’s ability will help fill Embree’s shoes.

She has played in one International Tennis Federation event and has been ranked as high as 378th in the ITF rankings.

Kiick has a career record of 32-23 and made it to the quarterfinals in the 2012 junior French Open.

 

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.