Junior Player Spotlight: Ines Roti, Glen Head Racquet Club
For any high-level junior tennis player who is approaching the end of their high-school career, making the crucial decision of where to embark on the next chapter of their life can often times be a difficult one.
For Ines Roti, she knew exactly what she wanted in her collegiate choice, exploring her different options for the one that provided an atmosphere for her to thrive both as a tennis player and a student.
So earlier this fall, Roti decided to commit to Davidson College and take her talents down to North Carolina.
“During my college search, the main thing I was looking for was an environment that had a competitive sports program as well as having outstanding academics, which I felt Davidson had,” said Roti. “From their rigorous liberal arts education to their amazing tennis team, I felt Davidson had the best of both worlds for me to thrive in. The coaching staff there is everything and more I could wish for in coaches, and I immediately got the sense of how invested and dedicated they are in their team, along with genuinely caring about their players on and off the court.”
Roti’s journey to playing Division I tennis began when she was about four-years-old, getting her inspiration, like a lot of little kids, from her older sibling, as watching her older brother play sparked her interest in tennis. By the time she was four-years old, she was playing in tournaments, and was fully invested in tennis.
While she would play other sports growing up, tennis was always the one that stuck out.
“I participated in school sports when I was in middle school; I played soccer and lacrosse, but I never really pursued other sports besides tennis,” she said. “Tennis was always my primary sport.”
She explained what it is about our sport that resonated so much with her, and how her growth in tennis has helped her deal with other aspects of her life:
“My passion for it grows everyday because it makes me feel fulfilled and I don’t know where I would be without it. It is such an incredible sport, I love everything about it. The feeling I get while competing and training is the greatest feeling. In addition to that, tennis has always been an outlet from any other factors off the court.”
Since she was 12-years-old, Roti has been training with Adam Lee at the Glen Head Racquet Club, where she has taken that passion and talent for tennis, and combined it with the top-level training.
“I love training at Glen Head because it is such a supportive atmosphere, everyone there is like my second family,” she said. “I’m so fortunate to have a coach like Adam who has helped me immensely over the years on court, and is always 100 percent invested and dedicated in making each of his players improve.”
All of that has united to form a well-rounded tennis player, and Roti has seen the fruits of all of that labor pay off, especially in this past year in particular. 2022 has been a successful season competing in various USTA tournaments around the country, both in singles and doubles play.
One of her Roti’s best results this year and in her junior career came back in early July when she took out the 20th ranked player in the country, Kallista Lui, at the USTA Girls 18s Clay Court National Championships in South Carolina. Prior to that, she captured the title at the Level 5 Girls 18s Championship at Robbie Wagner Tournament Training Center here on Long Island.
Those are just two of the results for Roti this year that have demonstrated the growth in her game and inspires confidence in herself as she moved forward. While her improved play is the result of the hard work she has put in on the court, it is also the product of a new mindset.
“At the beginning of the year, I was definitely putting a lot more pressure on myself than what I do now. I was really concerned with my results, which was definitely not the way to think,” she confessed. “When I shifted my mentality to just enjoying being on court and competing, and playing for myself, I started having my best results. I started trusted my game more, playing more freely, which came from me having more faith in myself, and having my coaches and family support me along the way.”
A key component of that shift in her mentality was also not dwelling on losses, but rather use them as a teaching tool and motivation afterwards.
“Another factor that helped me grow as a player was not letting tough losses affect me. I tried my best to pick myself up and try again, and to make the next match or practice better.”
It is precisely that attitude that has created an environment for Roti to flourish, and her results and improved play have borne that out.
For the past seven or eight years, the chemistry we have developed has grown stronger and stronger, and created a certain type of energy and positivity on the court,” said Lee. “It has made her wins sweeter and her losses easier. She had a fantastic junior year, and this past summer she posted some of her best results, including a win over a Top 20 player in the nation. She is committed to the game, highly motivated and has been a pleasure to work with on court. She has a phenomenal work ethic and a great personality on and off the court. She will be missed no doubt, but I am very excited for her new chapter at Davidson.”
Roti will look to continue getting better as we approach the winter, and prepare herself for that next chapter:
“The team at Davidson is such an amazing group. I could tell that they are supportive and kind to one another. After seeing all the great things Davidson has to offer, I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. It really is a dream come true to pursue my academic and athletic career at Davidson College.”
