Tennis Over Harvard Part Two

Blake Strode elected to attend the University of Arkansas over other schools such as Marquette, Notre Dame and Brown after he graduated from . He earned degrees in international economics and Spanish and once again flourished on the tennis court.

(Read Part one of this story: please click here.)

In his four years as a Razorback, Strode amassed a 98-48 singles record and a 71-55 doubles record. During his stellar senior season, he went 27-12 in singles competition and made it to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament before losing to the eventual national champion.

During the early stages of his senior year at Arkansas, Strode was determined to try to make it as a professional tennis player. Just so he’d have a post-career plan already in place, his parents, Lester and Angela, asked Blake to take his LSAT and apply to law schools so he wouldn’t have to worry about it while he was playing pro tennis.

“He applied to the top five universities and got accepted to Harvard,” Angela said. “It didn’t change our minds in the least. We were on the road already. He was so elated when he got accepted to Harvard because that’s such a big deal. I just remember thinking as a parent that he needed to pursue tennis.

“I thought Harvard would understand, but I also thought if they didn’t, it would be their loss. If for some reason they said no, I thought, ‘OK, you could apply again.’ My husband and I have always been very supportive because (Blake’s) just always done the right thing. He makes great choices for himself; he sees things clearly. We’ve never second-guessed him.”

Harvard has, in fact, understood, as the school has accepted three deferrals. Blake said that once he’s finished with his tennis career, going to Harvard or another top law school to become an attorney will be his top priority.

“That’s definitely still in my plan,” Blake said. “That’s something I’ve always been interested in. I plan to pursue that whenever I’m done with tennis, as soon as that may be or however far that may be.”

Blake, who trains in North Carolina, is only able to visit his family’s home in St. Charles three or four times each year. Despite that, Angela said Blake’s professional tennis journey has been a fantastic experience for the Strodes.

“If I had to support it all over again, we would do it in a heartbeat,” Angela said. “(Blake’s) had his ups and downs. He’s had some great wins and great opportunities. He’s traveled all over the country. It’s all been an upside for Blake. There’s been no downside.

“The goal was, of course, for him to be one of the top tennis players in the world, but that’s a tough road. At the end of his journey, I think he’ll look at it and say: ‘That was great. I did a good job. I achieved in tennis what most people would never achieve.’ I think he’ll feel good about himself. That’s all we want.”