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If anyone asked Gabriela Knutson if she would play professional tennis after college, she would have answered no. The Syracuse tennis alumna never imagined she’d be living out of her suitcase 30 weeks out of the year to play professional tennis. But after competing in the qualifying rounds of the 2024 Australian Open, Knutson knew she made the right decision.

At SU, Knutson prioritized her studies in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as a broadcast and digital journalism major. She wasn’t committed to a professional career despite winning the second most matches in Syracuse history (179) and leading the Orange to three NCAA Tournament appearances. But Knutson eventually opted to make the jump to the professional stage in 2021 and has advanced as far as the third qualifying round of the Australian Open.

“I always thought she had enough talent and dedication to pursue pro tennis if she wanted to,” Syracuse head coach Younes Limam said.

Knutson’s mother, Ilona, introduced her daughter to tennis when she was 2 years old. While living in California, Ilona began hitting balls with Knutson at their local country club and eventually began training her more intensely. But Ilona explained that her daughter faced a lot of pressure at home after moving to the Czech Republic when she was 12. She recalled Knutson crying after a tournament while her father and uncle told her what she should have done differently.

“Here in the Czech Republic, it (is) so goal-oriented. You have to succeed,” Ilona said. “I think (Gabriela) was kind of fed up with tennis (because of it).”

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College was the only time Knutson got to say “yes or no to tennis.” But she was adamant about playing because it was her only path to a higher education.

When Knutson got to Syracuse, she didn’t experience the same pressure as she did in the Czech Republic. Tennis became a team sport for Knutson, Ilona said. It was the first time she got to experience winning and losing with a group.

During her senior year at Syracuse, Knutson, ranked then-No. 4 in Division I, played alongside Miranda Ramirez in doubles. The pair defeated three nationally ranked duos, including Miami’s then-No. 17 Daniella Roldan and Daevenia Achong.

“I think she generated a lot of pace on her shots and worked extremely hard on her fitness,” Limam said. “She was one of the best players in college.”

While Knutson was always passionate about tennis, she wanted autonomy over her career goals, so she chose not to pursue the sport professionally. Instead, after graduating from Syracuse in 2019, she continued playing tennis at Durham University (England) and received two master’s degrees in marketing and renewable energy.

Yet while she was there, Knutson began playing on the Universal Tennis Rating Pro Tennis Tour in 2021. During the season, she won the PTT Bulgaria Women’s $25k Clay 3 title. At that moment, Knutson realized she wanted to commit fully to a professional career.

“I finally had the urge,” Knutson said. “I really (wanted) to try and see how good I (was).”

Due to the expense of hiring a tennis coach, Knutson began tackling her professional tennis career on her own. Her training days begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. Six days a week, she prepares for her next tournament before traveling, competing and returning to her home in the Czech Republic. Then, the cycle repeats. Knuston worked her way up in the women’s tennis singles rankings, landing the No. 150 spot in the Australian Open in January.

Gabriela Knutson led Syracuse to three NCAA Tournament appearances during her prolific collegiate career. Daily Orange File Photo

Everything Knutson worked toward was building toward this year’s opening Grand Slam. She defeated No. 17 Anna-Lena Friedsam 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 and Raluka Serban 6-1, 5-7, 6-1. But Knutson fell to Yuliia Starodubtseva 4-6, 6-1, 6-7 in the qualifying final of the tournament and didn’t make it to the first round of the main field.

“It was (a) really rewarding (experience) because (it) was my goal,” Knutson said. “It (was) even more gratifying to get to where I got to on my own merit.”

But there are times when Knutson faces hurdles on tour as she’s surrounded by competition 24/7. While Knutson has several friends on tour, it’s difficult for her to build relationships with other players because of the intense atmosphere.

“It’s a bit of a toxic environment,” Knutson said. “There are times on tour where it’s just you and your suitcase, and you have a terrible loss and you have a string of bad tournaments in a row and you’re not playing well.”

Despite the hurdles Knutson faces, she explained the best way to overcome them is “faking it until you make it.” Taking every day hour by hour, while emphasizing self-care, is the key to Knutson’s success.

She most recently competed against Polina Kudermetova in the International Tennis Federation Slovenia 01A tournament. Despite losing to Kudermetova 4-6, 3-6, Knutson currently ranks No. 191 in the Women’s Tennis Association singles rankings.

“(In) professional sports, the pros and cons are so polarized… You (experience) the highest highs of your life and the lowest lows of your life as well,” Knutson said. “I think even if I hadn’t gotten to the heights that I have now with tennis, I don’t think I would have regretted (my decision) because it’s just one of those things that you want to try. You want to see how good you are.”

Published on March 21, 2024 at 12:27 am

Contact Emma: ecstark@syr.edu