Tennis.com Podcast featuring Stella Sampras: Creating a standard through culture and competition

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It’s hard to find someone with more of a tennis pedigree in Southern California than Stella Sampras. Whether it was her brother Pete’s historic professional career, or her very own imprint on college athletics as both a coach and player, the Sampras name holds tremendous weight in the sport.

In 1996, the UCLA women’s tennis team hired the former national champion doubles player to coach her alma mater at the age of 27. In that time, a strong program has gotten stronger. Sampras has amassed 500 victories, a national team title in 2014, and has recruited 32 future All-Americans to play in Westwood.

As she explained in this Tennis.com Podcast with Kamau Murray, her coaching style is direct, and her intentions are clear. It’s that mindset that has made UCLA a destination for female players, and the perfect stop on the road to adulthood.

Several players under Sampras’ tutelage have reached the professional level, but perhaps none has had more of an impact than Jennifer Brady. Even from the onset, the coach knew that she had something special on her hands.

“She was a phenomenon. We knew our first day of practice with her, this person is not going to stay for four years just the way she hit the ball,” Sampras recalled. But that crisp and clean ball striking was not the trait that stood out the most, but rather Brady’s attitude and desire to focus on the process and accept her role as part of a team. Robin Anderson was the top singles player and had developed quite a resume, but Brady didn’t act out or challenge the coach’s authority.

“Her first year she played No. 2, and she just said, ‘I don’t care where I play, I just want to play the right way.’ And I have so much respect for her with that kind of mindset that the number didn’t matter. She just wanted to improve and develop.”

Sampras continues to share that story to incoming freshman, as a reminder that the process is long but that the rewards can be plentiful. Brady reached a major final, has had continued pro success, and is a testament to the culture that Sampras has established at UCLA.

Stella Sampras says she is beyond grateful to have coached for so long at an institution that values female athletics and the coaches that dedicate their life to leading their students. She address several topics in conversation with Murray, including how the recruiting process has changed, dealing with unhappy members of the team, and which player she missed out on coaching that still gnaws at her.

With 500 wins in her back pocket, Sampras is not focused on the past, nor is she looking to far ahead to the future. She's living squarely in the moment. And coaching high character women while wearing the UCLA blue and gold is exactly where she wants to be.