Adele's Sports Journey

From Friday Night Lights to Boston's Bright Lights.

Back to the court

Coaching Year: Lessons From the Baseline

Before my sports career took me into stadiums, ballparks, and broadcasting booths, I spent a year in a very different parts of Massachusetts coaching tennis in Boston and on Cape Cod.

What started as an off-season job quickly became one of the most impactful experiences of my journey. Coaching wasn’t just about teaching forehands and footwork, it was about building confidence, learning to lead, and connecting with people through a sport I’ve loved my entire life.

While coaching tennis, I balanced a full schedule of lessons, worked with players of all ages and skill levels, and even used sales and communication skills to build and keep my own private-lesson clientele. I learned how to adapt my coaching style to each athlete, how to motivate them, and how to help them see progress they didn’t always recognize in themselves.

Then, as summer arrived, I joined The Ridge Club on Cape Cod as an Assistant Tennis Pro. Between group clinics, private lessons, and marketing the club’s summer program, I found myself growing not just as a coach, but as a communicator and leader.

It was a year of early mornings, long days, and a lot of tennis balls, but it also gave me a deeper appreciation for the coaching side of sports.

Most of all, it taught me that sports careers aren’t linear. Every role, whether it’s on the court, on the mic, or behind the scenes builds something valuable.

And coaching built a side of me I use everywhere now.

Where It All Started

This chapter of my story mattered even more because tennis has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up on the courts, first as a player, then as a high school student working summer jobs at the local tennis center. Those early mornings, those first lessons, those years competing… they all built the foundation that made coaching feel natural.

Coaching wasn’t something new, it was coming full circle.
A sport that shaped me became a sport I got to share.

Why I Fell in Love With Helping Others Play

My passion for helping others love tennis actually comes from one of the hardest moments of my playing career. During my senior year of college, I was on an undefeated streak when I suffered an injury that doctors said would take me out for the rest of the season. Suddenly, everything I had worked for felt like it disappeared overnight. But instead of stepping away from the team, I stepped into a new role, helping coach my teammates from the sidelines. It wasn’t the senior season I imagined, but it became one of the most meaningful. Supporting them, guiding them, and watching their growth lit a spark in me that I didn’t expect. That experience showed me how powerful it can be to help others find confidence, joy, and love for the game, and it’s a feeling I’ve been chasing through coaching ever since.