Kartrina Adams
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Northwestern University
2014
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Katrina Adams joined a tennis program on Chicago’s West Side when she was six years old. She attended Whitney Young High School and became Illinois High School Association singles champion in 1983 and 1984. Adams attended Northwestern University on an athletic scholarship and was named an NCAA All-American while helping the Wildcats to Big Ten championships in both 1986 and 1987. In 1987, Adams became the first African American to win the NCAA Doubles Championship with partner Diane Donnelly.
From 1988 to 1999, Adams played on the Women’s Tennis Association tour where her best grand slam singles result was making it to the fourth round in the 1988 Wimbledon Championships, losing to Chris Evert. She was ranked #67 in singles in 1989 and was the singles runner-up at Wellington, New Zealand in 1988 and Brentwood, Tennessee in 1991. In 1989, she was presented the WTA Player Service Award. In 1989, Adams ranked #8 in the world in doubles, and during her 12-year professional career captured 20 doubles titles and was runner-up 16 times.
Off the courts, Adams has served as a coach, member and officer of the WTA and Executive Director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program in New York. She was inducted into the USTA Midwest Section Hall of Fame in 2005 and is currently (2014) the USTA 1st Vice President. Adams is a contributing writer for Tennis Magazine and serves as a television analyst and commentator.
Career Highlights
- Illinois High School Association Singles Champion — 1983 and 1984
Northwestern University Big Ten Team Championship — 1986 and 1987
ITA Rookie of the Year — 1986
NCAA All-American — 1986 and 1987
First African American to win NCAA Doubles Championship with Diane Donnelly — 1987
WTA Professional Tour — 1988–1999
WTA Player Service Award — 1989
Inducted into the Northwestern University Hall of Fame — 1998
Member of the USTA Executive Committee — 1998–1999
Member of USTA Player Development Committee — 1999
Commentator for BET’s coverage of the United Negro College Fund Celebrity Golf and Tennis Challenge — 1998–2001
National tennis coach, USTA — 1999–2002
WTA Althea Gibson Achievement Award — 2003
Television analyst on Tennis Channel and CBS Sports Network for US Open, French Open, WTA Tour and World Team Tennis (WTT) events — 2003 to present (as of 2014)
Director at Large, USTA Board of Directors — 2005
Inducted into the USTA Midwest Section Hall of Fame — 2005
Executive Director, Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program — 2005–Present (as of 2014)
Contributor, Tennis Magazine — 2006–Present (as of 2014)
USTA Service Bowl Award — 2007
Spirit of Harlem Award — 2007
Inducted into the Chicago District Tennis Hall of Fame — 2009
Commentator, Big Ten Network, Women’s Tennis Championships — 2009-2011
Sam Lacy Pioneer Award, National Association of Black Journalists — 2009
USTA Eastern Section Woman of the Year — 2010
Vice President of the USTA — 2011-2012
Inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame — 2012
First Vice President of the Board of USTA — 2013–Present (as of 2014)
Member of Grand Slam Board, representing the US Open — 2013–Present (as of 2014)
BOARD MEMBER, INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME — 2013–PRESENT (AS OF 2014)
