A tennis star at all ages
A love for tennis can last a lifetime.
Consider Judy Alper Smith ’57, who not only continues to play tennis in her eighties, but also competed in the International Tennis Federation Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Umag, Croatia, in September 2015. Smith is among the top four tennis players in the U.S. in her age category.
A native of Brookline, Mass., she has played tennis since learning the game at age 6 at summer camp in Maine. Over the years, she and various partners have achieved No. 1 ranking in New England women’s doubles, often in categories younger than their own ages.
Smith frequently represents the New England region in national competitions. Since turning 70, she has won four “gold balls” in tournaments across the country.
Smith also garnered many accolades as a high school coach, leading the Newton South High School women’s squad to a state championship in 1976. Seven years later, she competed in the 15th Maccabiah Games, where she won the bronze medal competing against players from all over the world.
She was inducted into the U.S. Tennis Association New England Hall of Fame, located in Newport, R.I., in 2013. Because of her outstanding career in tennis, Wheaton inducted her into the Yowell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Smith, who graduated from Wheaton with a bachelor’s degree in history, remains involved with the college, serving as vice president of her class and attending several Reunions over the years.
Hall of Fame photo by Keith Nordstrom