After completing two of the most successful seasons in the history of Duke women's tennis, Kelly McCain has decided to forgo her final two years of NCAA eligibility to play full time on the professional tour.
"After I finished my first year at Duke I really wanted to come back and it just wasn't the right time to leave," McCain said. "Now I feel like the opportunity is here and this is my chance to turn pro."
McCain--who was the top-ranked 18-and-under junior in the nation and perhaps the most heralded recruit in the program's history--compiled a stellar 35-3 singles record during her sophomore campaign and leaves Duke with an overall mark of 67-11.
The Wesley Chapel, Fla. native became only the fifth Duke women's tennis player to win a collegiate Grand Slam singles title when she captured the Riviera All-American in October and has been ranked among the top-three players in the nation throughout the spring season.
As more highly ranked teenagers continue to emerge on the WTA Tour, an increasing number of elite juniors such as McCain are choosing to leave college early or bypass the experience altogether. This trend creates a challenge for coaches, who often recruit a player knowing that she is likely to leave after one or two seasons.
"It's definitely a tough situation," Duke head coach Jamie Ashworth said. "But I'd rather take the chance and recruit players like Kelly to come to Duke for a year or two than have her beating us at Florida, Georgia or Stanford during that time."
McCain had hoped to guarantee herself a spot in the main draw of this summer's U.S. Open by winning the NCAA singles championships in Gainesville, Fla. However, severe leg cramps hampered her effort, and for the second year in a row, she lost in the first round of the event.
Despite the disappointing end to McCain's college career, Ashworth believes that the aggressive baseliner is making the correct decision by turning professional.
"I have no doubt that Kelly is ready," he said. "Kids usually turn pro when they're dominating college tennis, which Kelly has been doing. She's definitely ready to continue the challenge at the next level."
In order to prepare for the rigors of the pro tour, McCain will spend two weeks training both on the court with her father/coach Dave McCain and off the court with several strength and conditioning gurus in Greensboro, N.C.
Her official debut as a professional will come June 9-15 at the $25,000 Mecco Cup in Allentown, Penn., one of 13 tournaments that she plans to play this year.
"Kelly's going to take a physical beating as far as the day-in and day-out grind of pro tennis, but if she's in good shape and she's self-motivated she should be fine," Ashworth said. "But she also has to give herself some time. It's not going to happen in one year. She has the ability to be in the top 100, but she's just got to stay with it because she's going to go through stretches when she doesn't win any matches."
Despite playing a very limited professional schedule during her college career, McCain has established a No. 340 ranking on the tour, and that number should rise rapidly as she accumulates more victories.
"We've got a three-year plan with Kelly," said Dave McCain, who has over 34 years of coaching experience and has been his daughter's coach since she first picked up a racquet at age three. "It's difficult to set specific ranking goals, but if I didn't think Kelly would be in the top 50 in the world, I don't think we'd do this."
When McCain's playing days are finished, she will likely return to Duke to get her degree and possibly pursue a career in coaching.
For now, though, the former Blue Devil star will devote herself full-time to the professional tour and find out how well she can compete with the world's best players.
"On the pro tour a lot of players are good, so it comes down to heart, to how badly you want it and to how much of a fighter you are," Dave McCain said. "That's why some people win and some people lose, and everyone has always said that Kelly's got the heart of a lion."
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