Kamilla Rakhimova
June 12, 2025
“I fell in love with tennis at first sight. My mom is a tennis coach, so I didn’t have much of a choice in starting. But once I started, I just kept going and going, and now, here I am. Definitely, there have been moments when I’ve wanted to give up tennis. Around maybe 13 or 14, I remember I went to my coach, and I told her, “Maybe tennis isn’t my thing. I’m not winning anything. Maybe I should stop and find another thing.” She told me to give it one last chance and, of course, I did. And I’m so grateful for her advice. My family wanted me to go to college in the States because my brother did the same thing — he’s a swimmer. They wanted us to be close to each other. But I wanted to give the pros a try. Just a chance, rather than looking back and regretting the decision. It’s a very tough time transitioning from juniors to the pros. Having the right people around you is beyond important to help you achieve your goals, and I’m lucky to have those people. My team believes in me. The moment where I really
“I fell in love with tennis at first sight. My mom is a tennis coach, so I didn’t have much of a choice in starting. But once I started, I just kept going and going, and now, here I am. Definitely, there have been moments when I’ve wanted to give up tennis. Around maybe 13 or 14, I remember I went to my coach, and I told her, “Maybe tennis isn’t my thing. I’m not winning anything. Maybe I should stop and find another thing.” She told me to give it one last chance and, of course, I did. And I’m so grateful for her advice. My family wanted me to go to college in the States because my brother did the same thing — he’s a swimmer. They wanted us to be close to each other. But I wanted to give the pros a try. Just a chance, rather than looking back and regretting the decision. It’s a very tough time transitioning from juniors to the pros. Having the right people around you is beyond important to help you achieve your goals, and I’m lucky to have those people. My team believes in me. The moment where I really