Michelle Pits, a University of Hawaii sophomore tennis player, was born in Australia and raised there. When she was 4 years old she would always watch the other girls while they played tennis. Pits wanted to practice with them but since she was the youngest girl there she wasn’t able to play with them, so instead she helped pick rubbish and scattered items up just so she could watch them practice.

As Pits got older her skill improved, she qualified to play in the Australian Open, which is a major tennis tournament held Melbourne, Australia, her hometown. That skill and commitment has brought her all the way to Hawaii. However, when she got to college things were a little bit different for her.

“College was a different aspect because before college I was just playing for myself even during the duos, but in college we had to adjust working as a team,” Pits said. “I could tell that the other girls also were adjusting to working more as a group but after it was really great working with them.”

Although Pits received many other offers to play Arizona, Colorado, and Utah, she decided to come here to Hawaii to play for UH.

“I came to UH because I just wanted to have a fresh start and get a little better,” Pits said. “I prefer Hawaii better than the Mainland because it’s really nice here. Even though things are cheaper in the Mainland I still prefer Hawaii.”

What it all means

Being a tennis player means to have determination and pride in what you do, and keep your head in the game.

“Even though I have to travel around a lot I still have to focus on what’s going on. I have to stick to what I’m doing even in duels, I can’t let my opponent and the people watching me that are calling out my name distract me,” Pits said. “In tennis you have more aggression, more winning, and more focus on what you are doing and who you are playing against.”