Wendy Zhang ’18 traded out her tennis racket on the court for a role representing the players. A former Rice University tennis standout, Zhang joined KIN Partners as a tennis agent earlier this year. She credited her time at Rice, both on the court and in the classroom, for helping her gain the experience and connections needed for her new role.
Zhang transferred to Rice after her sophomore year and played tennis for the Owls for two seasons, where she received numerous tennis and academic awards. She was named to the All C-USA singles and doubles teams and was awarded the C-USA Commissioner's Medal and the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll both seasons she played. Now, as an agent, she is experiencing a different side of the tennis world.
“Sometimes as a player, we might not make it at the highest level,” Zhang said. “But in a different type of setting as a player agent, you get to experience what you didn't get to when you were playing. That's definitely one of the perks of being a player agent—being able to see the sport at the highest level and to work with the best athletes on tour.”
Zhang said that being a former tennis player has helped her to better understand her clients and specifically their schedules. “Having that tennis experience is definitely important,” Zhang said. “You understand what tennis players are like and what the life of a tennis player looks like, which can be very different from sport to sport.”
When not on the tennis court at Rice, Zhang was taking advantage of the Department of Sport Management to build her future career. She emphasized that the sports field is competitive, so getting into the industry early was important. Rice Sport Management helped her do just that.
“We were in the early stages of the department, but we had a very strong team of professors with a lot of resources,” Zhang said. “The education and all the connections I made from the department, especially from [Professor in the Practice] Tom Stallings, were very helpful.”
During her time at Rice, Zhang worked in marketing for Rice's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business and interned during the summers in her hometown of Vancouver, Canada, in events, tournaments, marketing, and sports business.
“The Department of Sport Management was very focused on hands-on experiences and lots of internship opportunities,” Zhang said. “The professors are really helpful in finding different opportunities for their students and getting them that experience so that they're ready for the real world right after graduation.”
Kathleen Ortiz, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, is studying Social Policy Analysis and Sport Management with a concentration in Sport Law.