Callie Creath: Reconnecting with the Game

Callie Creath thought she would never play tennis again. 

The graduate transfer fell out of love for the sport and was burned out. After finishing her collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, Creath was considering what she wanted to do for graduate school to fulfill her goal of becoming a counselor. 

In August, Texas State women’s tennis head coach Kendall Brooks reached out to Creath, but this wouldn’t be the first interaction between the two. 

Before Brooks began her head coaching career, she was the Director of Junior Development at the Austin Tennis Academy (ATA). The mission of ATA is to help junior tennis student-athletes maximize their potential on the court, in the classroom, and in life. 

Since the age of 11, Creath was a student-athlete at ATA where she would have tennis in the morning, classes throughout the day, and more tennis after school. Being at ATA allowed Creath to get a jumpstart to what she wanted to accomplish of being a student-athlete at the collegiate level. ATA teachers were understanding about their students having to miss classes for tournaments, and students learned about nutrition while maintaining the student-athlete lifestyle.

Brooks began coaching Creath in group practices and teen tournaments in the summers at ATA. 

“In the tournaments there were levels that you had to qualify for, and it didn’t take Callie long to blow through and make it to the Super Champ level,” said Brooks. “I remember her being extremely competitive from an early age. Even if she wasn’t the biggest, strongest or most experienced player, she could find a way to win. Just always locked in- whether at practice or competition. That’s her biggest strength still to this day.”

After her collegiate career Creath found herself looking for what was next in her journey and Brooks reached out with the same curiosity, asking Creath, “Are you truly done playing tennis?”

“Yes, I am done,” Creath said. 

Months and months went by before Creath found her love for the game again. Creath visited a friend who was playing on the pro tour and hit around with them for fun. 

“I felt like a little kid again,” Creath said. “I understood I lost this art of being a kid and being out here playing the sport I love. I felt it again, just like a little teensy glimmer. I reached out to Kendall and asked if there was still an opportunity because I was having second thoughts, and she said yes.”

Brooks remembers smiling so big when she got the text that Creath wanted to talk. After a commitment fell through in the fall, the timing was perfect and proved it was meant to be. 

“Callie is one of those players that can elevate and change the culture of a program,” Brooks said. “I was excited thinking about how this could be a great opportunity for both of us.”

Creath was the newest addition to the Texas State tennis program and agreed to it all without stepping a foot on campus.  

“It speaks to how highly I think of Kendall because I went into this completely trusting her judgement.” 

When Creath made it to Texas State she loved what she saw from the greenery, the hills, and the river running through campus.

One of the questions Creath had for Brooks was if her coaching style changed from their time at the Austin Tennis Academy, which Creath described as relaxing and calm. Brooks explained that it has not changed at all. 

“Being able to feel the relaxed personality from Kendall will make me relaxed on the court,” Creath explained. “She makes me calm on the court.”

As the fall tournament season approaches, Creath is looking forward to competing again, the feeling that she loves and discovered again. 

“It is exhilarating, and I have missed it a lot,” said Creath. “I forgot how much it means to be out on the court competing and fighting to see the fruition of your hard work.”