Cal Alum Raquel Atawo Joins Women's Tennis Staff
BERKELEY California women's tennis alumna Raquel Atawo has joined her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach after stepping away from the professional tour, Cal head coach Amanda Augustus announced on Wednesday. Atawo recently competed at the US Open in Flushing, New York, reaching the quarterfinals of mixed doubles with Fabrice Martin and the second round in doubles with Asia Muhammad.
"I'm looking forward to being back at Cal," Atawo said. "I'm really excited to learn from Amanda and Zack (Warren, Cal's assistant coach) as I begin my coaching career. I've met many of the girls on the team, and they are a great group with a special team spirit. I hope I can have a positive influence on the team and bring some of my experiences on the professional tour to Cal tennis."
"She's had an unbelievably amazing professional career," Augustus said. "We've been so proud of everything she's achieved. Raquel and I have been friends a very long time, and I'm very excited to help her with this transition to coaching. The team will benefit from her experiences as a former Cal NCAA champion as well as a Cal graduate. She also shares our commitment to the mission and values of the Cal women's tennis program. We're really excited to get started."
Earlier in 2019, Atawo reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the doubles second round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
She leaves behind a prolific career in which she played in 50 Grand Slams, won 18 WTA doubles titles including the 2018 WTA trophy with Anna-Lena Grnfeld and, partnered with Abigail Spears, reached the doubles semifinals of the 2014 Australian Open and of Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016. She achieved a career-best WTA doubles ranking of No. 10 in 2015 and was ranked 36th in the most recent poll. Atawo and Spears also won Premier 5 doubles titles at the 2012 Pac Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Cincinnati Masters in 2014.
Atawo had a busy year in 2015, when she and Spears reached the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore for the second consecutive season, was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and last but definitely not least married Cal track & field alumnus Toby Atawo.
Additionally, the erstwhile Golden Bear played for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis, helping lead her club to the 2019 league semifinals in August. A seven-year veteran of the league, Atawo won the 2012 WTT title with the Washington Kastles.
As Raquel Kops-Jones, she was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Senior Player of the Year and Pac-10 Player of the Year as a senior in 2004, when she was ranked No. 1 much of the season and was the first Golden Bear to win the Pac-10 singles championship. Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano captured the NCAA doubles title in 2003. The tandem was named the ITA Doubles Team of the Year in 2003, and the Bears also claimed the 2002 and 2003 Pac-10 doubles crowns. Kops-Jones was a five-time All-American and was named the 2001 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
Back in 2015, in an edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly magazine, Atawo discussed college coaching as a potential career after her playing career ended.
"College coaching has so many different aspects to it the administrative side, coaching and on-court stuff," she said. "That mix attracts me. For a while I was interested in physical therapy, but I would have to go back to school for a few years for that. Working and having a family at the same time, I'd have to consider all that."
Cal's coaching staff for the 2019-20 season now includes Augustus, Atawo, Warren and undergraduate student assistant coach Maria Smith.
The Golden Bears start the season when they host the Cal Fall Invitational from Sept. 27-29 at the Hellman Tennis Complex and the Channing Tennis Courts.
BERKELEY California women's tennis alumna Raquel Atawo has joined her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach after stepping away from the professional tour, Cal head coach Amanda Augustus announced on Wednesday. Atawo recently competed at the US Open in Flushing, New York, reaching the quarterfinals of mixed doubles with Fabrice Martin and the second round in doubles with Asia Muhammad.
"I'm looking forward to being back at Cal," Atawo said. "I'm really excited to learn from Amanda and Zack (Warren, Cal's assistant coach) as I begin my coaching career. I've met many of the girls on the team, and they are a great group with a special team spirit. I hope I can have a positive influence on the team and bring some of my experiences on the professional tour to Cal tennis."
"She's had an unbelievably amazing professional career," Augustus said. "We've been so proud of everything she's achieved. Raquel and I have been friends a very long time, and I'm very excited to help her with this transition to coaching. The team will benefit from her experiences as a former Cal NCAA champion as well as a Cal graduate. She also shares our commitment to the mission and values of the Cal women's tennis program. We're really excited to get started."
Earlier in 2019, Atawo reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the doubles second round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
She leaves behind a prolific career in which she played in 50 Grand Slams, won 18 WTA doubles titles including the 2018 WTA trophy with Anna-Lena Grnfeld and, partnered with Abigail Spears, reached the doubles semifinals of the 2014 Australian Open and of Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016. She achieved a career-best WTA doubles ranking of No. 10 in 2015 and was ranked 36th in the most recent poll. Atawo and Spears also won Premier 5 doubles titles at the 2012 Pac Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Cincinnati Masters in 2014.
Atawo had a busy year in 2015, when she and Spears reached the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore for the second consecutive season, was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and last but definitely not least married Cal track & field alumnus Toby Atawo.
Additionally, the erstwhile Golden Bear played for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis, helping lead her club to the 2019 league semifinals in August. A seven-year veteran of the league, Atawo won the 2012 WTT title with the Washington Kastles.
As Raquel Kops-Jones, she was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Senior Player of the Year and Pac-10 Player of the Year as a senior in 2004, when she was ranked No. 1 much of the season and was the first Golden Bear to win the Pac-10 singles championship. Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano captured the NCAA doubles title in 2003. The tandem was named the ITA Doubles Team of the Year in 2003, and the Bears also claimed the 2002 and 2003 Pac-10 doubles crowns. Kops-Jones was a five-time All-American and was named the 2001 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
Back in 2015, in an edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly magazine, Atawo discussed college coaching as a potential career after her playing career ended.
"College coaching has so many different aspects to it the administrative side, coaching and on-court stuff," she said. "That mix attracts me. For a while I was interested in physical therapy, but I would have to go back to school for a few years for that. Working and having a family at the same time, I'd have to consider all that."
Cal's coaching staff for the 2019-20 season now includes Augustus, Atawo, Warren and undergraduate student assistant coach Maria Smith.
The Golden Bears start the season when they host the Cal Fall Invitational from Sept. 27-29 at the Hellman Tennis Complex and the Channing Tennis Courts.
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