Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Okhremchuk.
Hi Michelle, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised Ukrainian. Growing up in Ukraine, your options are limited—especially potential goals. Life is simply black or white. In order to provide us with the possibility of a better life and brighter future, my parents, especially my mother, did everything they could to give me and my brother a “life of many colors.”
Don’t get me wrong; I love my country and I am proud to be Ukrainian, but it hasn’t been a home for me in a long time. It is, however, where I started my tennis journey when I was 6 years old. I fell in love with the sport immediately, and it didn’t take long for tennis to become my whole life. After winning a few national titles and becoming one of the top players in Europe, my parents decided to send me to a tennis academy in France at the age of 12 in hopes of me becoming a professional tennis player. Shortly after graduating at the age of 17, I moved to the United States to play Division I college tennis. While training and competing in so many different countries, my love of traveling also grew. Being able to travel and explore different cultures and the many foods that can’t be with them opened my eyes to the great world around me.
Growing up in France without my parents, other people and culture raised me (my friends, team, and coaches)
On the other hand, being on your own at such a young age without parents makes you learn to adapt and act fast. While attending the tennis academy in France, my parents stayed in Ukraine. I was under adult supervision at the academy, but I was in charge of organizing my own schedule between homeschooling, tennis, and learning English and French—both of which were brand new to me.
Growing up, I only ever dreamed about becoming a professional tennis player. I lived and breathed tennis, and there was never any other option for me until I came to the United States. America seemed like a whole other world compared to Europe, but after many debates, my parents agreed with my decision to play college tennis at the University of Nevada. Never in my wildest dreams had I thought I would move to America for tennis. I had fallen in love with France and wanted to stay, play pro tennis, and eat croissants every morning as I had been doing for a decade, but I knew this was my next step.
I am forever grateful for my best friend, Chelsie, who I was randomly paired with as roommates my first year at university. She became my mother, sister, teacher, and best friend as America was quite a culture shock and very eye-opening. My first four years in America ended up being the best time of my life, and I met so many wonderful people that are still a part of it today. With no plans of my own after graduation, I followed my best friend from Nevada to San Diego, and goodness, I am so thankful for her to have presented me with the opportunity. San Diego is truly the best place to be.
Unfortunately, due to torn ligaments on my knees and back problems that accumulated through the years, as much as I wanted to deny it, I knew it was time for me to step back from tennis, take a different path, and chase a different opportunity. After college and retiring from the competitive aspect of the sport, deciding to share my experience with others and become a coach was exactly what I needed. However, having played tennis all my life, I also wanted to discover and experiment with other passions of mine. Slowly but surely, it became clear to me that my dream of being a tennis player had limited the expectations I had about my future. Being an athlete, you crave that constant challenge of achieving something.
Little did I know, San Diego is where my real growth would begin! As a 22 two-year-old with a pre-law degree that I knew I would never use, I decided to find the next best thing for me: play some tennis tournaments and find a job in the sport. I had never really seen myself as a tennis coach, but I wanted to give it a try. I supported myself by competing in an open-level division tournament and learning how to be a coach. With all the tournaments I played, I was fortunate to meet the best pros in San Diego and achieve a ranking of number 1 in Southern California. Looking back, I would have loved to know all of the tips and tricks as a player that I do now as a coach. Coaching is so much different than being a player, but hey, everyone would love to know something that we didn’t know before. Still, after lots of learning and teaching, I’m still learning more to this day.
I am very passionate about coaching and teaching others, and the more that I was getting into coaching, the further away I was from being a tennis player. I no longer had a problem with letting go of that little-girl dream of becoming a top tennis player. So many athletes struggle with letting that dream go but so much support around me and seeing a different future helped me to get through it. I realized that my goal now was to educate and help others. Helping, inspiring, educating, and seeing other players grow is a rewarding feeling whether the student is trying to become a competitive player or simply wants to have fun with the sport. I learned that it’s not just about being a professional tennis player, working hard, and being disciplined, but also seeing growth and allowing players to enjoy the process. I was raised in a tough environment where you feel as if you don’t have a choice but to be someone that everyone tells you to be. It definitely made me stronger mentally. If you asked my brother, Andrey, he would describe me as someone that was not allowed to be tired or complain (not the story right now Haha). Coaching made me more patient, compassionate, understanding, and able to let things go.
I am forever great full for the opportunity I got. Tennis saved me in a way I can’t imagine! My mother did everything for my brother and me to live in a better country. My brother Andrey is the first immigrant in London, United Kingdom. He was admitted into Oxford after finishing his first year of college in Donetsk, Ukraine, and graduated with an accounting and finance degree. I am the first one in my family to move to attend American college and reside in the United States and our mom was a big influence on that! She currently lives with me (came to the Unites States in 2014 after the first conflict between Russia and Ukraine)
My family is currently safe (as safe as they can be) living in parts of Crimea, Kyiev, Donetsk, and Dnepropetrovsk.
Some of my cousins in the military still fighting and protecting every day.
I was born in Donetsk, Ukraine which has been a target for the past 8 years.
Let me know if you need any more details and clarifications 🙂
Thank you, Michelle
Achievements:
Junior Career:
Four-Time National Ukrainian Champion
Top 50 junior in EU
Trained and studied by Patrick Mouratoglou (Former Serena Williams College and currently Simona Halep)
College:
All-Time record holder for most wins in history at the University of Nevada
Top 50 collegiate athlete
Player of The Year
Player to Watch
Post College/Coaching Career
Former N1 In Southern California in Women’s Open Division
2019 UPSTA Player of the Year
Program Director at San Dieguito Tennis Club (running a successful junior and adult program)
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up where your parents weren’t around in a country (France) where you speak no French or English, makes you grow up and adapt very fast. Since I was a little girl, I never wanted to show fear or struggle, I did not like to ask for help so I learned to solve issues on my own (could’ve taken me longer but I learned pretty quickly). I was raised by my teammates, coaches and so many people around me which I’m thankful for, giving me so many cultural lessons and perspectives on the world. I wouldn’t have gotten that education and would’ve been so limited if I stayed in Ukraine, even with all the access and social media, people are still uneducated and behind in so many years when it comes to the world we are living.
Growing up in an environment where all you had to do was follow the rules (play, train, compete, have good grades, and repeat) to attending college with similar rules (maybe with a little bit of fun). Up until I was 22 my routine was very similar, just different destinations. To have it completely turned to 360 and be in the world that no one prepared you to be in. With some money to get by and a job to find as a 22-year-old where no one knows and expects you.
Being a successful tennis coach is about building clients and relationships, it’s like sales but you are selling yourself (your services). In a city with so many tennis clubs and coaches, you have to prove why are you worth their time and money. As a young female, it was hard to be taken seriously and with a lack of experience, you are in a daily struggle. At my first tennis club, I had a good start, the club was all about progressing youth players. It took time to build lessons and more hours so I started competing in local tournaments on the weekend to make money. I started as hitting partner to the top national level, high-performance juniors, and I was getting paid while training myself so it was a win. There was no tournament where I wouldn’t make at least a final. When you are hungry, you get motivated and I knew I needed to make it to the finals to be able to win prize money. When you are being successful in any field, people notice and you are being talked about. That’s how my network grew slowly and I built my clientele. I got more opportunities to move up and get better positions as a tennis coach. The more I started coaching the more my fire for competing started to fade. It is easy to get burned out and I knew I didn’t need to be a successful tennis player anymore; I’ve done it so it was time for me to pursue tennis coaching as my full-time job. It is not an easy road and far not for everyone, it’s a physical job where you have to perform with each client at your best (sometimes 10-12 hours a day)! My job is to make people feel and look great no matter their goals. You have to be very adaptable to different personalities and moods. You have to be pleasant and charismatic and you can’t show your struggles (maybe with your long-time clients that your build close relationships and allow yourself to take the mask off). I do get to work with some amazing people and some I can call my friends. It fills my heart having clients I spend years with and you know you are doing something special if they keep coming back. I worked so hard for this moment to be able to build my own schedule and most importantly say “No” when I need to (with my people-pleasing personality it was hard for a long time and still is sometimes). There is no day when I am drained to go to work and I feel like that’s what the dream job people are looking for,
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known as a tennis professional. I run a program at San Dieguito Tennis Club. I teach privates and junior and adult groups.
I’ve been in the tennis industry most of my life as a tennis player and now for the past 7 years as a coach. I’ve met, learned, and experienced so many different parts of the world and learned from some best tennis players and coaches in the world.
I know what it’s like to be a beginner player, a competitive player, and a professional. I am someone that truly cares about players learning and improving their game but most are having a good time on the court. This sport builds such a great community.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The best things about San Diego are the beaches, weather, people, and food. I’ve never met so many amazing people in my life and I can’t imagine living anywhere else, it’s truly a paradise. I am a big foodie and they are so many new and old places to try and it never ends. It`s a vibe for anyone and everyone. I always wanted to leave by the water and I grew up by the water in Crimea, Ukraine, and then in Nice, South of France, and now I get to live in the best city in America, San Diego. No matter where I go when I touch down at the airport, it’s a breath of fresh air and relief. It’s a lifestyle I always imagined myself living as a little girl telling her mom I’ll be somewhere where life is full of colors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sandieguitotennis.com/
- Instagram: @michelle_okhremchuk
