As 2019 came to a close, many of us were rushing to make our last days of the decade count. For Stephanie Yakoff, this meant winning the annual Girls 14s Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship hosted in Coral Gables, Florida.
Her “Champion” title was not enough to wrap up the decade, however. Only a few days later, she competed in the USTA Girls 16s National Winter Championship, earning third place overall and took home the infamous bronze ball.
Picking up her first racquet at 4 years old led her to more competitive training at 7, and soon thereafter, Yakoff found her way to CourtSense at Bogota Racquet Club.
Working closely with Saul Salazar, director of high performance at Bogota, Damir Barisic, high performance coach at Bogota, and the Magnus Team at Bogota, Yakoff has earned national recognition and is a serious competitor at the highest level.
“She is a hard worker, so talented and easy to teach,” Salazar said. “She has a great feeling and great understanding of the game. Her goals are big, and I like to help others achieve their goals.”
Monday through Friday, Yakoff is found on court at Bogota no less than three hours each day. After she’s just about reached her limit with tennis for the day, she spends an hour off court training in our Magnus fitness facility.
“She pushes me to push myself,” said Khyanna Singh, a high performance player at CourtSense. “I want to be happy when I’m playing, not mad or angry. Her great personality allows for a positive mindset so we can both achieve our greatest potential.”
One month into the new year has not slowed Yakoff down one bit. In fact, she is already training for numerous upcoming tournaments, such as the Super Six, Empire Cup and other local competitions. As she embraces these upcoming opportunities, CourtSense is cheering, supporting and, most importantly, preparing Yakoff physically, mentally and technically.
As for her International Championship, well, a title like that will certainly not be forgotten any time soon.
Congratulations to Yakoff and the CourtSense team!
Author: Liya Davidov
