Women's History Month Q&A: Brienne Minor
3/24/2020 2:30:00 PM | Women's Tennis, Features
University of Michigan women's tennis standout Brienne Minor (2016-19) became the first African-American woman to claim the NCAA singles title, winning as a sophomore in 2017. She earned four All-America citations, the most by a Wolverine, and ranks seventh in program history with 110 singles victories. The 2016-17 Michigan Female Athlete of the Year, Minor wants to pursue a professional tennis career after finishing her degree at U-M this spring.
In an interview with MGoBlue.com for Women's History Month, Minor discusses her run to the NCAA title, her favorite memories from her time at Michigan, and how the strong women in her family influenced her.
Q. Update us on your life. What are you doing now?
A. I am finishing up my fifth year and in my final semester of school. After I graduate, I want to play professional tennis. I had surgery on my knees this past summer, so I am still in recovery mode. The end goal is to be a professional tennis player.
Q. Your degree is?
A. Communications.
Q. What do you want to do when tennis is no longer an option?
A. I am not sure right now. If I make it professionally, I definitely want to open up a club. I want to be able to help people who might not have the opportunities I had to play tennis when I was younger. I want to impact younger tennis players.
Q. March is Women's History Month. Who have been your female heroes and/or role models and why? How did they influence the person you've become?
A. I would have to say Serena Williams is up there and probably No. 1 for me. She paved the way for me and other African-American athletes. She has definitely been a hero to me since I was little.
My sisters and my mom as well. My mom played high school tennis, and my sisters played college tennis. They are the ones who got me into the sport in the first place. They have also been my coaches, so there is no way I would have been the tennis player or person I am without them.
I feel like, with my sisters, I am definitely half and half. I am half Christina and half Jasmine. I feel like I have both sides of them. They have helped me focus on and realize that tennis is not the big thing in life. There is more to life than just playing a sport. Both of them have taught me that.
Q. What does Title IX mean to you? What are some ways you've seen it affect your athletics career?
A. It definitely means a lot because gender equality has always been a big thing for me. I just think that it is not much to ask to have the same opportunities. I have never thought that women should have more than men, but that it should be equal. We can do the exact same things that men can, and Title IX just really gave us the opportunity to show it.
Obviously, getting a scholarship to the University of Michigan is the biggest way I have seen it. Getting the opportunity to play a sport that I love and attend college for free was obviously really big for me.
Q. You became the first African-American to win the NCAA women's singles title in 2017 as a sophomore. What does that historical achievement mean to you? What are your favorite moments or stories from that event or resulting from it?
A. It definitely means a lot because, at first, I did not even know that until I was told about it a few days later. There are not a lot of African-American tennis players out there, so that meant a lot when I found out. I am hoping that, just as the Williams sisters and some other African-American athletes paved the road for me, I can do the same for younger athletes who are getting into the sport, whether it is tennis or something else.
That is something I have always noticed (not that many African-Americans in the sport), traveling to tournaments or watching tennis on TV. There are not even that many Americans playing professional tennis. Being able to see what Venus and Serena have done with their careers, it lets you know that you can do the same. Seeing someone who looks like you accomplish things that have never been done before just inspires you to try the same and know that it can be done.
One of my favorite parts was when my two best friends and their families came to surprise me down in Georgia. They drove nine hours to get there, and everyone was there for that final match, which meant a lot to me. Sharing that week with (Michigan coaches) Ronni (Bernstein) and Teryn (Ashley-Fitch) was really awesome. That was the first time I really had them to myself, because normally we would be at a team event. I loved hanging out with my family each night after the matches too.
Q. Which match was the hardest?
A. I would say the first one. I feel like first rounds are always tough for me. I played the same girl I had played the previous year at the NCAA Tournament (Miami's Sinead Lohan), and she just does not miss. It was a tough match; it was hot down in Georgia. I lost the first set but was able to come back (3-6, 6-3, 6-3).
Q. What was your mentality as the week progressed?
A. I just kept my mentality the same, remembering that I was the underdog and no one was expecting much from me. Just go out and play with nothing to lose. I didn't change anything, just played free.
Q. What is your favorite memory from your Michigan career?
A. It was when Ro (Ronit Yurovsky) clinched our match to send us to the Elite Eight (in 2016). That was by far my favorite moment. It was raining, so we were delayed for a long time. We finally got back outside for doubles, and it came down to Ro and Kara (Hall) for the doubles point. Then we had to go inside for our singles matches. I lost my singles, and two others lost. Kate (Fahey) and Mira (Ruder-Hook) came back to win, so it was tied 3-all and coming down to Ro. I think she was about to lose the match, down like 4-1. I feel like every time it came down to Ro, she had a switch in her brain and would say, "OK, I got this." She won five games in a row and sent us to the quarters.
Q. You were named Michigan Female Athlete of the Year for 2016-17. What does that award mean to you?
A. It means a lot because there are so many amazing people who come here and compete in the sports that they are so good at. We have so many amazing female athletes on this campus. To be in their company is really cool. It was such a huge honor to win that.
Q. What did involvement in sports mean to you during the time you were competing? And now?
A. It meant a lot to me competing at Michigan because I had been playing tennis since I was five years old. To come here and compete in the sport I love is pretty special. I feel like being a student-athlete, especially at a place like Michigan, teaches you so much. I have learned so much about life through playing this sport and competing at the highest level.
I think now it is cool to look back on everything. I like to look back on how I got to where I was, with the help of my teammates, coaches, family and everyone helping me. I don't think I would have had the career I had if I had not made the decision to come to Michigan. I look back on everything and am just so grateful.
Women's History Month content from earlier this month on MGoBlue.com included a Q&A with softball All-American Jenny Allard (March 10). A feature on rowing All-American and Olympian Kate Johnson is scheduled for March 30. For more information on Women's History Month, visit womenshistorymonth.gov.
