Following her recent victory against 13th-seeded in the world Dominika Cibulkovain in round one of the 2014 US Open, Catherine “CiCi” Bellis, has gained the attention of tennis legends and spectators alike.
Ranked second in the worldwide junior league and number 433 in the world, Bellis has proven herself to be a very skilled and dedicated player in the tennis world. But her life outside of tennis has not been as thoroughly documented, and though her tennis profile says much about her already, this 15-year-old from Atherton is still quite the normal teenager.
Bellis has had dreams of playing tennis from an early age. “I started when I was 3 at my country club,” says Bellis. “It was right when I became homeschooled when I was 10 [that I knew tennis was a serious passion].”
Before she started her K-12 online school program, Bellis was able to experience public elementary school at Hillsborough’s South School.
Former classmate Raayan Mohtashemi, currently a sophomore at Lick-Wilmerding High School, says, “CiCi was sociable, hard-working,and kind-hearted. She was very athletic, but also humble about her accomplishments.”
Bellis’s fourth grade teacher Lissa Auerback adds, “She was studious; she got all her work done. She didn’t make a big deal about how good she was, and she actually downplayed it quite a bit.”
However, her dreams of becoming a professional tennis player were evident to Emma Goodman, a friend of Bellis’s.
She says, “I always remember seeing [Bellis] eat her breakfast right before school started because she was out playing tennis at 6 a.m. She was always playing tennis, and she dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player.”
Alexa Adams, another classmate, agrees that tennis took precedence over many of Bellis’s other activities. She says, “I think she did try to find a good balance, which is hard when you need to dedicate so much time to practice and training. In the end, I think her ambition led her to prioritize tennis.”
Even though Bellis prioritized tennis, she was able to make time for her friends. Goodman says, “She was always there for me, either when I needed her to listen or words of encouragement.”
Mohtashemi recalls an example of Bellis’s sociability, saying, “CiCi invited me and a few other friends to her home a few times. [She] was very kind and fun to be around.
Though she enjoyed her experience in public school, Bellis eventually switched to online school to accommodate her busy schedule. When Bellis began online school, she found it much easier to balance school and friends with tennis. Now, because most of her close friends play tennis and are homeschooled, she finds it easier to connect with them, since they are all in the same situation. Homeschooling also gives Bellis more flexibility and free time.
As for the social aspect that online school lacks, Bellis makes up for it in other ways. “At all the tournaments, there’s a chance to be social, and that’s where all my friends are anyway,” says Bellis.
Despite starting her career sooner than most, Bellis is still a teenager who loves to hang out with her friends. “Usually, a couple times a week, I try to [hang out with my friends], like when I’m at home, but at tournaments, it’s like every single day,” she says. “I like to go to the mall or go to the movies.”
In addition to her friends, Bellis’s parents have also been a great source of support. She says, “I think it definitely helps me during my matches. It also helps to see them so supportive, just in life.”
Mohtashemi adds, “[Bellis] never seemed burned out, even though she obviously worked very hard. You can only do this if your parents are positively supportive.”
Bellis says, “I’d love to be a pro. In practice, I try to think about what I want to work on during my matches and try to practice hard so I can play well in my matches.”
Her fanbase has grown significantly after her US Open win, but there are fans who have followed her all along. Mohtashemi says, “We were all really surprised when we heard [CiCi] won a match at the US Open, but we knew that she was certainly capable of such a feat.”
