Lele Forood

Lele Forood (born 10 September 1956) is the Peter and Helen Bing director of women's tennis at Stanford University. She has been the head coach since 2001, and has won 10 NCAA Championships. Previously, she was a top amateur and college tennis player. As a professional, she is best known for reaching the doubles semifinals at the 1977 US Open and at the 1978 US Open, upsetting reigning Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade. Forood reached a high ranking in singles of No. 30.

Lele Forood
Born (1956-09-10) September 10, 1956
San Francisco, California, USA
NationalityAmerican
EducationStanford University
OccupationCollege Tennis Coach
Years active2001-present

Amateur/College years

Forood was the high school state champion in Florida, then became a student at Stanford University|Stanford in 1974. She became a pro tennis player after her sophomore year in college, then returned to Stanford University and graduated in 1979 with a degree in sociology.[1]

While playing at Stanford, she was named an All-American in 1976. She also was a National Collegiate singles finalist as a freshman and a semifinalist during her sophomore campaign in leading Stanford to two second place national finishes.[2][3]

Pro career

In 1976, she andRaquel Giscafré reached the doubles semifinals at the US Open. Two years later, at the 1978 US Open, she upset third-seeded Virginia Wade in three sets in the third round.[4] Forood won gold in singles and doubles in the 1975 Pan American Games.[2]

Forood was a member of the Board of Women's Tennis Association from 1979 to 1987 and served as its secretary-treasurer from 1983 to 1987. She was the recipient of the WTA Player Service Award in 1983. After the tour and before coming back to Stanford, she promoted the first professional women's tour event in France from 1986 to 1988 in Strasbourg.[2]

Coaching career

Forood was hired as an assistant coach at Stanford under Frank Brennan, who coached her as a junior and as a pro. During this time, Forood was recognized in 1997 as the ITA Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year.

When Brennan retired as head coach after the 2000 season, Forood took his place. In 2001, her first year as head coach, Stanford won the NCAA championship, making her the first female coach to win the NCAA team title in tennis. Her team has appeared in the NCAA tournament every year since she began coaching in 2001, and her team has won 10 national titles. As of the end of the 2019 season, her record is 466-44.[2] During her coaching career at Stanford, she achieved multiple championships. The team also accomplished an 89-match winning streak across three seasons (2004–2006). The home court 184-match winning streak at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Stadium, which extended from the 1999 season to the finals of the NCAA championship in 2011 was one of the longer home winning streaks of any intercollegiate sport in NCAA Division I history.[2]

Among the top tennis players who have played for her at Stanford include Nicole Gibbs, Mallory Burdette, Amber Liu and Kristie Ahn.

Head coaching record at Stanford
Year Record NCAA Results
2001 30-0, 8-0 Pac-10 NCAA Champions
2002 27-1, 8-0 Pac-10 NCAA Champions
2003 25-2, 8-0 Pac-10 NCAA Runner-Up
2004 29-0, 8-0 Pac-10 NCAA Champions
2005 27-0, 7-0 Pac-10 Champions NCAA Champions
2006 30-0, 8-0 Pac-10 Champions NCAA Champions
2007 24-2, 8-0 Pac-10 Champions NCAA Semifinals
2008 22-5, 7-1 Pac-10 NCAA Quarterfinals
2009 19-5, 6-2 Pac-10 NCAA Round of 16
2010 26-1, 8-0 Pac-10 NCAA Champions
2011 28-1, 8-0 Pac-10 NCAA Runner-Up
2012 21-2, 9-1 Pac-12 NCAA Quarterfinals
2013 22-4, 8-2 Pac-12 NCAA Champions
2014 20-3, 8-2 Pac-12 NCAA Semifinals
2015 18-6, 7-3 Pac-12 NCAA Quarterfinals
2016 20-5, 9-1 Pac-12 NCAA Champions
2017 26-3, 10-0 Pac-12 NCAA Runner-Up
2018 24-3, 9-0 Pac-12 NCAA Champions
2019 28-1, 10-0 Pac-12 NCAA Champions

[2]

gollark: This is NOT what I meant by "generics".
gollark: ... so apparently the "generics" are some kind of weird type level switch?
gollark: Really? Interesting.
gollark: lol no generics.
gollark: Also, it has an actually good type system.

References
  1. Reynaud, Cecile, ed. (2005). She Can Coach!. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. p. 156. ISBN 978-0736052320.
  2. "Lele Forood > profile". Stanford Official Athletic Site. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  3. Whiting, Sam (14 May 2006). "Tennis Pro: What has Lele Forood learned in 17 years coaching at Stanford?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  4. Bodo, Peter (1979). Inside Tennis : A Season on the Pro Tour. New York: Delta Books. pp. 267–268. ISBN 978-0440544111.
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