Penn's Alice Pirsu, Ivy League Player of the Year for tennis in 2002 and 2003, did not play in any tournaments over the summer. She does not plan to play competitively when she graduates in the spring.
For the average Penn athlete, this would be the norm. However, Alice Pirsu is not an ordinary Penn athlete.
Even before entering Penn and gaining esteem as one of the best college players in the country, she had played the best the world has to offer. Pirsu participated in Wimbledon and the U.S. and French Opens before her high school graduation.
"I feel that I have accomplished a lot with my tennis," Pirsu said. "I love the sport very much, and I am sure that one way or another I will stay involved with it, but I will use the upcoming years to develop my skills in new areas other than tennis."
By the time she was 16, Pirsu had played on the International Tennis Federation/Women's Tennis Association tour, been ranked 24th in the junior world rankings and 207th on the WTA tour.
In her three years at Penn, she has been named the Ivy League Player of the Year twice. Last year, she became only the second female in Ivy League history to advance to the Elite Eight of the National Singles Championship.
The list of accomplishments goes on, even if Pirsu will not after college.
However, Pirsu insists that there is always something to improve.
"I have been working on my fitness," she said. "It is a big part of the game"
Pirsu spent the majority of the summer working and traveling. With an internship at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and a four-week visit to her native Romania, she used her spare time to relax in preparation for a new season.
"Given that it is my last year playing, my main goal is to have fun and enjoy it as much as I can," she said.
Pirsu favors college tennis over the pro version, because she believes that college tennis is more of a true team sport. She likes having teammates that support each other and travel to tournaments together.
"I have found my best friends among my teammates and enjoy every minute of my time on and off the court," she said.
Her teammates appreciate her just as much as she appreciates them, according to junior Shelah Chao.
"Off the court, she is much sweeter than her aggressive on-court attitude projects," Chao said. "She is always there for all of our team meetings or parties and enjoys having fun with the team."
On the court, Pirsu's talent and attitude make her an "incredible asset to the team."
Chao attributes much of her own growth as a doubles player to the time spent playing with Pirsu. She thinks that Pirsu's "fierce attitude and confidence" have taught her to be better as a singles player as well.
"Just knowing that she has the ability and will try her hardest to win all of her matches at our number one spot makes me much more confident against some of our toughest rivals," she said.
Pirsu's similar work ethic in the classroom has resulted in two Academic All-Ivy honors. An economics major, she is grateful that she had the opportunity to study at Penn after growing up and attending high school in Bucharest, Romania.
While she has enjoyed her time in Philadelphia, sometimes it's the little things about her native country that she misses most.
"There were many cultural differences that I had to deal with when I came over here," Pirsu said. "But most of all, I miss the European cuisine."
