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Tennis in her Blood: Georgia Drummy Looking for Strong Final Season
1/9/2023 2:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
By Charlotte Tannenbaum, Duke Athletic Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM -- Georgia Drummy's talent on the tennis court is undeniable. The player, who shepherded the Blue Devils to the 2022 ACC Championship, ended last season with an impressive eight-match winning streak. Her performance also merited the individual title of ACC Championship's Most Valuable Player.
Her passion for tennis has clear roots; Drummy grew up surrounded by the game. You could say it's a family affair.
"My parents actually met at a tennis tournament," said Drummy. "We all have a passion for it."
In addition to her parents, the Ireland native grew up playing alongside her two older sisters, both skilled players who furthered her exposure early on.
"They're six years and four years older, so it was nice having them," said Drummy. "Their level was always better than mine when I was younger, so I hit with them."
Growing up, there was never a shortage of practice partners for the player.
"As I got older, l graduated from each person in the family to hit with," said Drummy. "My dad was the best."
Drummy's father, Victor, was more than just her hitting partner - he was also her coach for years before she began training at the national training center.
"He has a real love for the sport," said Drummy. Clearly, the grad student has inherited his passion for tennis.
Drummy began playing at the young age of four in her hometown of Dublin. By the time she was 12, she had decided to take it more seriously, traveling internationally and upping her game.
"In Ireland, the tennis level isn't as amazing, so I had to start traveling from a young age within Europe to play tournaments," said Drummy.
By the time she entered college, Drummy had already played in a number of large tournaments, including the Australian Open Juniors, Wimbledon Juniors, French Open Juniors, US Open Juniors, and even the Youth Olympics.
Drummy transferred to Duke following two seasons at Vanderbilt and made her Blue Devil debut in the fall of 2020.
As a result, Drummy was already well-accustomed to playing far away from home when she came to Duke. That's not to say that the transition to collegiate tennis came without adjustments: for Drummy, one of the biggest changes was the team dynamic, which she lacked growing up.
"Because I'm from Ireland, there weren't a lot of girls traveling with me," said Drummy. "It was always me and my coach, which was a bit lonely. I never got that team feeling."
Drummy's not the only Blue Devil who's far from home; graduate student Iuliia Bryzgalova comes from Russia, and junior Karolina Berankova is from Czech Republic.
"It's just a different experience," said Drummy. "We clicked instantly. It is not like you go out looking for it, but when someone's in that same position of living so far away from home you just are a bit more open to them."
Nowadays, alongside Bryzgalova and Berankova, Drummy trains and travels with the same close-knit group of girls day in and day out.
"For your first year, you're almost shocked," said Drummy. "Like, 'Oh what is this? I don't really understand the whole team aspect.' But now it's like I'm actually fighting harder for these points. Not for just myself, but for the team and the college itself."
Her teammates and coaches have all noticed how well Drummy adapted to the team environment.
"Georgia has been the true definition of a team player from the moment she arrived on campus," said Duke had coach Jamie Ashworth. "Her maturity and sense of professionalism have set a great example for her teammates. She has literally given her all to our program, sacrificing personal health and playing through pain almost on a daily basis to help make Duke a better place."
"It's another level to my tennis. I just want to do the best for everyone ," said Drummy. "I enjoy being out on the court more now because I'm surrounded by my friends and all these people that care so much about me."
While Drummy's accomplishments thus far are certainly impressive, her future promises to be even brighter.
Drummy has accumulated back-to-back Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America accolades since arriving in Durham. She owns a career 78-28 singles ledger and has tallied 57 career doubles wins since joining the collegiate ranks.
"She continues to get better and continues to want to get better, and I know that the best version of herself is still in front of her," said Ashworth. "We could not be happier with where Georgia is on and off the court and are excited about what the future holds here at Duke and beyond for her."
Currently a senior, Drummy plans to enter the professional scene following her time at Duke. With an undeniably exciting chapter ahead of her, Drummy reflects back on what she'll miss most about her time at Duke: her teammates.
"It's a nice feeling that there's something I will miss," said Drummy.
Still, Drummy is confident that the girls that she met at Duke will remain close long after she leaves Durham.
"I have lifelong friends, even though I'll be on the other side of the world," said Drummy.
But Drummy's time at Duke isn't finished yet. With the beginning of her last season drawing near, all eyes are on the player to continue to lead the Blue Devils to further victories. There's no doubt that Drummy will continue to make Duke proud, both in her final season in Durham, and throughout the rest of her promising career.
The Blue Devils will open the 2023 spring slate on Friday, Jan. 13 at 4 p.m., as Duke hosts Furman in the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
#GoDuke
DURHAM -- Georgia Drummy's talent on the tennis court is undeniable. The player, who shepherded the Blue Devils to the 2022 ACC Championship, ended last season with an impressive eight-match winning streak. Her performance also merited the individual title of ACC Championship's Most Valuable Player.
Her passion for tennis has clear roots; Drummy grew up surrounded by the game. You could say it's a family affair.
"My parents actually met at a tennis tournament," said Drummy. "We all have a passion for it."
In addition to her parents, the Ireland native grew up playing alongside her two older sisters, both skilled players who furthered her exposure early on.
"They're six years and four years older, so it was nice having them," said Drummy. "Their level was always better than mine when I was younger, so I hit with them."
Growing up, there was never a shortage of practice partners for the player.
"As I got older, l graduated from each person in the family to hit with," said Drummy. "My dad was the best."
Drummy's father, Victor, was more than just her hitting partner - he was also her coach for years before she began training at the national training center.
"He has a real love for the sport," said Drummy. Clearly, the grad student has inherited his passion for tennis.
Drummy began playing at the young age of four in her hometown of Dublin. By the time she was 12, she had decided to take it more seriously, traveling internationally and upping her game.
"In Ireland, the tennis level isn't as amazing, so I had to start traveling from a young age within Europe to play tournaments," said Drummy.
By the time she entered college, Drummy had already played in a number of large tournaments, including the Australian Open Juniors, Wimbledon Juniors, French Open Juniors, US Open Juniors, and even the Youth Olympics.
Drummy transferred to Duke following two seasons at Vanderbilt and made her Blue Devil debut in the fall of 2020.
As a result, Drummy was already well-accustomed to playing far away from home when she came to Duke. That's not to say that the transition to collegiate tennis came without adjustments: for Drummy, one of the biggest changes was the team dynamic, which she lacked growing up.
"Because I'm from Ireland, there weren't a lot of girls traveling with me," said Drummy. "It was always me and my coach, which was a bit lonely. I never got that team feeling."
Drummy's not the only Blue Devil who's far from home; graduate student Iuliia Bryzgalova comes from Russia, and junior Karolina Berankova is from Czech Republic.
"It's just a different experience," said Drummy. "We clicked instantly. It is not like you go out looking for it, but when someone's in that same position of living so far away from home you just are a bit more open to them."
Nowadays, alongside Bryzgalova and Berankova, Drummy trains and travels with the same close-knit group of girls day in and day out.
"For your first year, you're almost shocked," said Drummy. "Like, 'Oh what is this? I don't really understand the whole team aspect.' But now it's like I'm actually fighting harder for these points. Not for just myself, but for the team and the college itself."
Her teammates and coaches have all noticed how well Drummy adapted to the team environment.
"Georgia has been the true definition of a team player from the moment she arrived on campus," said Duke had coach Jamie Ashworth. "Her maturity and sense of professionalism have set a great example for her teammates. She has literally given her all to our program, sacrificing personal health and playing through pain almost on a daily basis to help make Duke a better place."
"It's another level to my tennis. I just want to do the best for everyone ," said Drummy. "I enjoy being out on the court more now because I'm surrounded by my friends and all these people that care so much about me."
While Drummy's accomplishments thus far are certainly impressive, her future promises to be even brighter.
Drummy has accumulated back-to-back Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America accolades since arriving in Durham. She owns a career 78-28 singles ledger and has tallied 57 career doubles wins since joining the collegiate ranks.
"She continues to get better and continues to want to get better, and I know that the best version of herself is still in front of her," said Ashworth. "We could not be happier with where Georgia is on and off the court and are excited about what the future holds here at Duke and beyond for her."
Currently a senior, Drummy plans to enter the professional scene following her time at Duke. With an undeniably exciting chapter ahead of her, Drummy reflects back on what she'll miss most about her time at Duke: her teammates.
"It's a nice feeling that there's something I will miss," said Drummy.
Still, Drummy is confident that the girls that she met at Duke will remain close long after she leaves Durham.
"I have lifelong friends, even though I'll be on the other side of the world," said Drummy.
But Drummy's time at Duke isn't finished yet. With the beginning of her last season drawing near, all eyes are on the player to continue to lead the Blue Devils to further victories. There's no doubt that Drummy will continue to make Duke proud, both in her final season in Durham, and throughout the rest of her promising career.
The Blue Devils will open the 2023 spring slate on Friday, Jan. 13 at 4 p.m., as Duke hosts Furman in the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
#GoDuke
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