On the mend, and back to school—in the classroom and on the court—for Jenny Brady

LOS ANGELES—It’s almost noon on Friday, April 12. Here in Westwood, on the UCLA campus, former Bruin Jenny Brady (not Jennifer, please) is nearly half-way through her 29th birthday. Following knee surgery in February, Brady thought it would be a good idea to return to UCLA and resume her college education. Back in 2014, after two years in college, Brady left school and joined the WTA Tour. A decade later, as part of her rehab and resumption process, Brady also contacted her former coach, Stella Sampras, and asked if she could help the team as a Student Assistant Coach.

“Ten years ago, I was a student athlete and in the same spot as these players, looking to go pro,” says Brady. “I think I can bring some knowledge and experience to them about what it’s like to be on the tour and how to improve their games and mental toughness and physicality.”

The day prior to her birthday, Brady’s coaching career got off to a lively start. Over the course of a dramatic, crisp and breezy afternoon in Malibu, 15th-ranked UCLA’s match versus seventh-ranked Pepperdine came down to the quintessential team play moment: one match for all the marbles. In the end, it was won by UCLA’s Elise Wagle in nail-biting fashion, 5-7, 7-6 (7), 6-3.

“It was my first time ever coaching,” says Brady. “I joked around and said I’d much rather play than coach. . . I’ve learned a lot from watching, coaching, and teaching.”

“Jenny has given us a pro perspective,” says the team’s top player, Tian Fangran, “and how, if we want to work our way up to playing pro tennis in the future, what we should focus on and the mentality and small details you need.”

While Tian won the NCAA singles title last year, she has learned from Brady that competing at the pro level will require a shift.

“College tennis is a lot about being consistent,” says Tian. “But in the pros, you need to be more aggressive.”

Certainly, Brady has proven that over the course of her pro career. Armed with arguably the best service motion in women’s tennis and an exceptionally powerful forehand, Brady took big steps forward in late 2020 and early ’21. At the 2020 US Open, Brady advanced to the semis of a major for the first time. Four months later, she reached an Australian Open final, and by February had attained a career-high ranking of No. 13.

But then came a series of foot and knee injuries that kept Brady off the tour for nearly two years, from August 2021 until July ’23. Starting last summer, she played five WTA events. But in October, following a win over No. 46 Peyton Stearns in the first round of Beijing, Brady was forced to retire four games into her next match.

Recently liberated from crutches, Brady figures that by August—six months following surgery—she’ll be able to start hitting tennis balls at a moderate level and in time get an idea of when she can plan for a return to the tour.

“I miss competing,” says Brady. “You can’t get that adrenaline or thrill from anything else.”

Jenny has given us a pro perspective. Tian Fangran, UCLA No. 1

“At first, it was a little intimidating to have this Grand Slam finalist here,” says Sampras. “But we all saw right away how helpful, friendly, and funny Jenny is.  She’s just great to be around.”

Brady is greatly enjoying the chance to revisit a place where in large part she redirected her tennis journey.

“I didn’t have the results that my other peers had in the juniors,” says Brady. “I wasn’t ready for the pros, so college was really the only option for me.”

At UCLA, Brady rapidly thrived, in time playing a key role on the Bruins’ 2014 championship team.

“At first, she was a little shy,” says Sampras, “but then she definitely became a lot more outgoing, more open, more confident. It was really neat to see her grow and build a relationship with our coaching staff . . . We also saw how good she was and figured she wasn’t going to be here for four years.”

As Sampras had anticipated, after two years at UCLA, Brady went pro. Back on campus this spring, she’s now completing the final quarter of her sophomore year, enrolled in classes on public speaking, linguistics and science. Brady intends at some point to earn a degree in political science, perhaps even continuing her education this fall at UCLA.  She admits she’s become much better at studying and time management than during her prior time as an undergraduate.

It's likely that Brady’s newfound discipline was greatly developed three years ago, just before the Australian Open. Prior to the tournament, Brady endured 15 days of hard quarantine in a Melbourne hotel room. Working out twice a day in her room with weights, a stationary bike and tennis balls, Brady emerged from that experience and went on to have the best result of her career, winning six matches before losing to Naomi Osaka in the final.

One example of Brady’s current focus came when she was asked about her birthday celebration plans: “I’ll be in bed by 8:30. Lights off. And my alarm will probably be set at 6:00 a.m.”

As she recovers on the UCLA campus, Jenny Brady is eager for the next morning.