It’s no small feat to play a Division I sport while studying architecture, one of the toughest college majors, but that hasn’t stopped Tamara Barad Itzhaki from excelling in both. The women’s tennis senior is wrapping up her fourth of five years in the School of Architecture, with plans to continue playing professional tennis as she pursues a career as an architect.
In fact, it was tennis that actually led Barad Itzhaki to discover her passion for architecture as a little girl.
“I had extra shoeboxes because we switched shoes a lot in tennis,” Barad Itzhaki remembered. “And most people would use music or art as therapy after matches, but for me, I started taking these boxes out and just making recycled models, like a cinema or a restaurant. I loved being creative with it, so my parents encouraged me to think about becoming an architect.”
Growing up in Israel, Barad Itzhaki was inspired to play tennis after watching the success of nationally ranked stars who came from humble Israeli backgrounds. As she progressed in her own career as a junior player, Barad Itzhaki competed across the globe in New Zealand, China, South Korea, the Netherlands, South Africa, Kenya, Australia, Germany and Spain. Seeing all the diverse cultures and unique building designs further reinforced her love for architecture.
Barad Itzhaki earned an ITF Juniors career-high ranking of 293. She became notorious for rebounding from near losses, making shocking comebacks from any score deficit. Once, at a Tennis Europe tournament, Barad Itzhaki was down 6-1, 5-0, 40-0 against a Russian player, but surprised the crowd by winning the match.
“They were already sending the guys over to my court because they thought it was over,” Barad Itzhaki laughed. “And then people kept waiting and waiting but the match still wouldn’t end. I knew that if I believed in myself and took advantage of the other player’s hesitation, I could win it.”
Coming out of high school, Barad Itzhaki was conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), serving in the Israeli Air Force while continuing to compete in tournaments. By this point, she had already earned her professional ranking in the WTA, with her career-high ranking eventually rising to 844.
During her time of service, she received scholarship offers from dozens of US college tennis programs and made official visits to five of them. Barad Itzhaki’s decision was made easy when she visited Tech. She felt a strong connection with head coach
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