Eleni Rossides is executive director of the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting tennis and education to disadvantaged youth in the District. Before joining WTEF in 2004, Rossides was a four-time national champion at Stanford University and spent eight years on the women’s professional tennis tour.
What’s your background in the sport?
I grew up here in D.C. I grew up around this tournament [Legg Mason Tennis Classic]. I was a top player in the mid-Atlantic since I was 11 or 12. I competed in all the 12-14 tournaments, and was ranked in the top three in national juniors. I got a scholarship to Stanford and played on four national championship teams. They told me then that I was the first female player to have won four national titles.
What about your pro career?
I played for eight years. I had several injuries, which was unfortunate. My highest ranking was around 150. When I was on the tour, I managed my own career — I was very interested in marketing on the tour.
Describe your current position. How has it gone since you started in 2004?
[It was] a perfect marriage for my interest in kids, a passion for Washington, D.C., and love for tennis. I really worked hard on making processes more efficient — really looking at every single department I reorganized a lot of things. We were spending too much money and not getting the kind of return we should have been.
Were you involved with the Washington Kastles at all?
The kids got to play on the court [at a Kastles match] — that was a wonderful experience. It’s great for the kids to see the players and what they’re accomplishing. We want to develop minds in the classroom and on the tennis court. – David Sherfinski
What about the Legg Mason Tournament?
WTEF is the beneficiary of the Legg Mason tennis tournament. What we also do is a pro-am event, which directly benefits WTEF. It’s an amazing player field. I think the competition is going to be great.
