Like Father, Like Daughter
After years of tutelage under her dad and, these days, her head tennis coach Andres Amores at Jacksonville State, Sadey St. Amant knows a bit about being coached. That just might come in handy now.
As she walks the grounds of the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College, she is often in possession of something more than a tennis racquet; she has a coach’s badge hanging around her neck.
Father Lance runs the Mississippi 12 and Under Advanced team but his co-captain is his eldest daughter.
It’s all about family tennis for the St. Amants. Among the players they brought from Ocean Springs to Rome is Sadey’s 12-year-old sister, Sidney, who plays on the team they coach. Twins Adam and Sophie are 17, and Adam plays on their local 18 and Under Intermediate team. Four of the five St. Amant kids played JTT. A few years ago their 14 and Under Advanced team placed third in USTA nationals.
“Sadey’s been playing Junior Team Tennis since she was 10. Now she helps out with the team. Now, she has a lot of experience,” Lance said during a match on Saturday.
Asked about her father’s influence, Sadey cited his years of instruction and said, “I grew up listening to him. He developed my game.” While she currently plays for Amores on the college level, her father’s guidance seems to have shaped how the English major sees her game. Now she wants to pass along her knowledge of the sport to her sister and her teammates, including how to practice and focus.
One of the best developmental tools that JTT reinforces is the importance of every game, along with concentration on doubles, her father explained. “It’s 60 percent of the points.”
Lance said Junior Team Tennis helped Sadey develop from a young player to a college athlete heading into her junior year on the Gamecocks’ women’s tennis team. Last spring, Sadey played singles lines 4 and 5, achieving an 11-10 record.
Sadey, who also played numerous USTA junior tournaments, said, “Team tennis is different than tournaments. You’re not alone out there. How often do you get to be on a team?” She added she enjoys the more relaxed atmosphere of a team environment, whether it be in JTT or on a competitive college squad.
