Hayley Carter
Name: Hayley Carter (Follow her on Instagram)
Any Nicknames: Hay
Hometown: Hilton Head Island, SC
When did you start playing tennis? 6 years old
How long have you been on tour? Starting my second full year now
Tell us a bit about your tennis history: No one in my family played tennis and I fumbled into the sport one summer by buying some cheap racquets at Walmart. When I was 11, I started training at SmithStearns Tennis Academy in Hilton Head Island, SC. I wasn’t a typical junior player and didn’t play a ton of tournaments, so I didn’t have much of a ranking in anything. Thank goodness for TennisRecruiting’s rankings, because it allowed me to get recognized by the University of North Carolina. I ended up going there and staying for all 4 years. After I graduated, I had a bit of a bum shoulder and was a bit burnt out, so I took a coaching job for one year at Oklahoma State University before beginning my professional career.
Describe your game style: In singles, I’m a bit more of a retriever. I like to use other people’s pace to move them around the court and mix up my shots to make players feel uncomfortable. In doubles, I’m definitely more aggressive. I try to place the ball well from the back and look to move forward and cause problems by being very active at net.
List of Accomplishments:
- #1 NCAA ranked player in both singles and doubles
- 7-time All-American and 2-time Academic All-American
- ACC Freshman of the Year and 2-time ACC Player of the Year
- NCAA singles finalist
- Most singles wins in ACC history
- 9 professional doubles titles, including a 125k event
- Career high #97 in the world in doubles
Gear Breakdown:
Racquet: Babolat Pure Aero
Shoes: Asics Gel Resolution
Strings: Solinco Hyper G (17 gauge)
Apparel: Asics
Hayley Carter
Tennis Questions:
Favorite shot to hit: Forehand volley
Tennis idol(s): Bethanie Mattek-Sands
Any superstitions: When I was younger, I had an endless amount. Now the only remaining one is that my doubles partner and I always sit on the same side of the bench that we start the tournament on.
Favorite Tournament: Even playing bigger WTA events now, I think my favorite will always remain the Templeton 60k.
Most memorable win: When our UNC team beat Stanford in 2014 to go to the NCAA finals
Pre match meal: #teamSubway
Favorite part about being a pro tennis player: Being able to travel around the world with my best friends.
Worst part about being a pro tennis player: Dealing with the weekly swings of highs and lows.
If you could re-do one match, which would it be and why? Bogota 250k finals. Obviously would like to go back and win, but more so go back and enjoy the moment. Just a really cool experience and I felt like I was too nervous in the moment to enjoy it.
Rapid Fire Questions:
Favorite pizza toppings: Chicken, spinach, tomato and pesto
Favorite dessert: Do we count Boba Tea as a dessert? Because my choice is always Boba Tea.
Celebrity crush: Gabriel Macht (yes, Suits is my favorite show)
Favorite musical artist: Dean Lewis (honorable mention to the Jonas Brothers though)
Go-to karaoke song: Sweet Caroline (a UNC karaoke bar classic)
Biggest pet peeve: On court, when your opponent is questioning what seems like every single call. Off court, toss up between being late and loud chewing.
Top 3 most used apps on your phone: Twitter, Insta, Snapchat
Celebrity doubles partner: Jonathan Van Ness
If you could have 1 superpower: Teleportation
Favorite city to visit: Chicago
Tell us your favorite joke: My college coach would sometimes tell me jokes on the changeovers. On one changeover mid-match he told me: “Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Ivan. Ivan who? Ivan idea, hit the ball.” That one definitely remains my favorite.
Describe your perfect day off: A day spent exploring and doing something outdoors, definitely a Starbucks or boba tea stop, and then trying out a new food place.
Would You Rather:
Win a grand slam or be ranked #1? Win a grand slam
Return or serve first? Return please
Forehand or backhand? Backhand
Crosscourt or down the line? Crosscourt
Up at net or at the baseline? Net forever and always
Coffee or tea? Starbucks coffee
Window or aisle seat? Aisle seat
Advice for players just starting out:
I think it’s simple: keep it fun, set regular goals, and work hard. I think if you do that then you will maximize your tennis and have no regrets.
