STANFORD, Calif. - Last August, women's tennis player Karin Miller decided to put her professional tennis career on hold in order to attend college. The freshman chose Duke and flourished, becoming the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named both Freshman and Player of the Year in the same year in any sport.
But last week, Miller decided her pro career just couldn't wait any longer.
Miller told Blue Devil coach Jamie Ashworth the night before the NCAA individual tournament in Stanford, Calif. last Sunday that she planned to leave Duke and turn pro, beginning with a satellite tournament in Hilton Head, South Carolina that begins June 8. Miller advanced to the singles semifinals of the NCAAs in what turned out to be the last match of her abbreviated collegiate career.
Miller said the decision came down to a number of reasons. Among them was her standing on the Women's Tennis Association tour. Miller's WTA ranking soared to as high as 153 last summer but currently stands at 312, its lowest point since '94. If Miller chose to return to Duke next year, she would only continue to plummet in the rankings.
"If I don't go play tennis now, I'm probably not going to have the chance to do it later," Miller said. "Basically my decision was that I want to do it now, rather than wait, because my rank is slipping also."
But in addition to her career aspirations, Miller cited academics as a key factor in her choice. She said that she had trouble choosing a major and finding focus with her academic endeavors while playing tennis at the same time.
"I had a really tough time school-wise this year," she added. "I don't really think school is my thing right now."
As a freshman, Miller's accolades included a grand slam title at the Rolex Indoors, a No. 1 ranking nationwide in the spring and a top seeding at last week's NCAAs.
The Trenton, N.J. native finished with a singles mark of 43-6 and doubles record of 31-3.
"Karin had a great year," Ashworth said. "It would've been nice for her to do better [at the NCAAs] because it would've jumpstarted her career a little, but I think she learned a lot this year. She learned that she had to be more disciplined, and I hope that'll carry over to when she starts playing."
Miller will have to play in satellite tournaments before she qualifies for more noteworthy tournaments where she would compete against some of the bigger names in the sport.
Her loss leaves the Blue Devils with a dearth in players as it heads into next year. Duke graduates four players and Miller's departure leaves only rising juniors Vanessa Webb and Kristin Sanderson as players who saw significant playing time this season.
Ashworth is hoping Laura Zifer is fully recovered for her senior campaign. Zifer, ACC Rookie of the Year two years ago, missed most of this past year with cramping due to severe dehydration she suffered at last year's NCAAs.
In addition, Duke currently has the nation's second-best recruiting class, including Megan Miller, who is ranked 261st in the world. Ashworth hopes to supplement next year's class of Miller and Kathy Sell by adding another top recruit. Regardless, the Blue Devils' will have an influx of new players in the lineup, and thus uncertainty as the season approaches.
"Next year my guess is that we'll be preseason [No. 3]," Ashworth said. "But it's a huge rebuilding year. If we had Karin coming back, I think we'd be favored to win the whole thing. But a player of her level is obviously hard to replace."
Ashworth himself is not guaranteed of returning in the fall. He took over as interim head coach when Jody Hyden resigned March 24 and guided Duke to a 12-1 record. Ashworth expects an announcement from the athletic department in early June, though both he and the players have expressed a desire for him to remain.
With Miller, there is no question if she'll return. She departs after one year, anxious to start her new life on the pro circuit.
"Now I just start my tournaments and go from there," she said.
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