By Jonathan Moore

One female athlete from Southfield High has committed to play a college sport.

That one female is tennis star Lauren Hughes, who will play tennis for Wayne State University next year.

She signed her letter of intent on February 6, surrounded by six burly male football players who also signed letters to compete at the next level.

Sporting a green and yellow cap concealing perfectly curled locks, Hughes posed for cameras and fielded questions from reporters.

“I feel really good about the experience,” said Hughes of her accomplished tennis career at Southfield High, where she has played in the number one singles spot.

Hughes’ tennis coach of four years, Ernie Taber, says that “she’s definitely the best player I’ve ever had as a freshman and probably the best tennis player I’ve ever had. A lot of kids of her ability don’t even play in high school, they play the USTA circuit. Somewhere 30 or 40 years ago, I’m sure someone here got a tennis scholarship, but we just don’t get kids like that.”

Hughes’ journey to state tennis stardom began at the age of 9. “She came to me and said she wanted to try tennis,” says Reginald Hughes, Lauren’s father.

Mr. Hughes gave his daughter an ultimatum: play piano or play tennis. “It’s not like my dad said, ‘You’re going to stop playing piano’…I wanted to do it,” she says. Ever since that day, Hughes’ drive and passion for tennis has steadily grown. By freshman year, Hughes was a regional finalist and one of the most feared junior tennis players in the state and in the United States Tennis Association.

She says her parents have been a big part of her success.  “They’ve been very supportive,” says Hughes. “I would say, ‘I’m done, I don’t want to play anymore,’ but they kept encouraging me to keep going.”

Ingrid Hughes, Hughes’ mother and a Wayne State alumna, describes her daughter as outgoing and bright. “I knew she was in for something great,” she says.  “Whatever she tackles, she goes for it full force.”

And full force is the epitome of Hughes’ practice routine, which includes practice throughout the year in West Bloomfield Township at The Sports Club of West Bloomfield only to compete in a 3-month tennis season, from March through May. Hughes says balancing school and tennis has been a challenge for her.  “It’s going to affect me,” she says because “the tennis in college is more intense than in high school… you’re playing every day for like, 3 hours,  and in college the work is harder.”

So far, however, Hughes has managed to balance both school and tennis despite also participating in the OTEC (Oakland Technical Education Center) pharmacy program at the Oakland Schools Technical Campus In Royal Oak every day from 7:50 to 10:20 a.m.

Hughes, who intends to pursue a career as a pharmacist, says that her career ambitions mattered just as much as her tennis talent in choosing to sign to Wayne State. “The team is sweet and supportive, the coach is the nicest person I’ve ever met, they have the major I want to pursue –  pre-pharmacy – and they have a great pharmacy program.”

This gave Wayne State an edge over other schools Hughes considered applying to, including Grand Valley State University and Penn State University.

And after college? Will she be the next hotshot on the professional tennis circuit? “Definitely. As I get older, I want it more- I want to play more, I want to win more. When I was younger, I didn’t have the drive; I wanted to do it, but I didn’t want to put in the work to get there. Now, I see what it takes to get there, and it makes me want it more. I love the adrenaline, I love competing, and I love winning.”

While Hughes’ relationship with her racquet may have improved, she still has days that challenge her, she says, especially when the sun is blaring. “I’m so anti-summer it’s not even funny, but I’ve had to get used to it,” she says. “I played matches this summer, and it affected me- I was more worried about the sun than my opponent.” Another reason Hughes despises the heat: “Your edges get nappy,” she laughingly says. “I hate it.”

While the stress and strain of being a student athlete are no stranger to Lauren Hughes, she remains inspired and motivated.  Last month, while watching the Australian Open tennis tournament at home, something astonishing happened to her. After witnessing Sloane Stephens, a 19-year-old African-American tennis player from Florida, stun the world by beating the 15-time grand slam winner and revered woman’s tennis icon Serena Williams, Hughes had an epiphany. “She (Stephens) looked up to Serena, and she beat her,” says Hughes. “That’s when I made my decision: I want to be that,” she said, “I want to beat Serena!” She said to herself, “Okay, Lauren, you need to work harder, and you need to get out there and not complain.” At that moment, “I wanted to cry,” Hughes remembers. “I was so happy.”

A role model in her own right, Hughes is humble in giving advice to fellow tennis players and those interested in taking up the sport. Hughes recalls how past competitors played mind games with her and psyched her out. “Opponents put things in your head. Girls would lie on my line call, saying that my ball was out when it was win. It would make me think, ‘Maybe my ball was out.’ You can’t let it affect how you play,” she says. “Don’t ever give up, work hard, stay with it,” she says. “It’s not about your parents or anyone else, it’s about you. You have to think about yourself,” she says.

With a promising future ahead of her and dreams of moving to California in her future, Hughes is prepared to rock the Wayne State tennis team and continue turning heads with her Colgate smile and her brutal backhands. She encourages fellow tennis players to stay determined and ambitious. “At the end of it all,” she says, “it’s all going to pay off. You’ll look back and say, ‘I’ve made it’.”