Hattie Conover ‘25 has played tennis all four years she has been at City High. This season she played consistently at the #3 and occasionally #2 spot. Last season she went undefeated in the regular season, playing in 12 games across the #3-6 spots.
Conover began playing tennis as a freshman, drawing inspiration and interest from her uncle Drew. Conover watched her uncle play and coach tennis consistently throughout her childhood.
“He knows so much about it and he’s been playing my whole life. He’s always happy for me, always wants to know how I’m doing, what I’m doing, how I’m playing, all that kind of stuff,” Conover said.
Her teammate, and doubles partner Sydney Geisen ‘26 praises Hattie on and off the court for her mindset.
“She is very mature and selfless and a joy to be around on and off the court, she is an older player I look up to.” Geisen said.
When it comes to being an Unbreakable Female Athlete, Conover believes it comes down to one’s attitude.
“I think it’s really easy to have a constant bad attitude and to be tough, because tough players win. And I think that’s very true, but also you still have to realize that there is a time and place for being nice to people, and that being kind to people will get you a lot further than being tough and unbreakable on the surface,” Conover said.
Although kindness is important to Conover, she has seen that a different side of her comes out on the court.
“I think tennis has brought out more of a rage-ful side in me, and I think it’s also brought out a really competitive side of me, which is not necessarily the best thing, but I think it’s also really helpful when I really need to lock in. I’ve noticed that competitiveness and that fight that I have in me is really useful in other parts of my life too,” Hattie said.
Conover has experienced the struggle of being a female athlete throughout her career.
“We get a lot less coverage because we’re women. I’m just gonna be blunt about it.” Said Conover. “In regards to specifically girl’s tennis, it’s understandable, because it is not really one of the big three sports [at City High]: baseball, football and basketball, those are the big three.”
In order to get the coverage she believes women’s tennis deserves, Conover says that “it’s gonna take just a lot of hard work.”
“We’re gonna have to be unbreakable female athletes, every single one of us, if we want the attention that we deserve.” said Conover.
As Conover’s final tennis season comes to an end, her advice to girls starting to play tennis, or any sport, is to “practice, practice, practice, practice.” Conover herself spent every single day of the summer hitting against the backboard at City Park. She also spent time at North Dodge Athletic Club and at HTRC just hitting or in a group lesson.
“Just keep practicing. The more that you play tennis and the more that you enjoy it, the better you’re gonna be.” says Conover.
