Senior Spotlight

Natalie Cooper - Pacelli

Natalie Cooper finished her senior season and high school tennis career in style.

She and her teammate Lauren Loesl made a run in the WIAA state tennis doubles tournament, reaching the championship match.

“My most memorable experience will be becoming runner-up this year at state in doubles.” Cooper said, “I was always a singles player and played singles most of this season, so getting that far at doubles was beyond my wildest dreams.”

Natalie, the daughter of Tara and Mike, picked up the tennis racket for the first time at the age of 5 with encouragement from her mother. Tennis has been a passion ever since.

“My favorite part about the sport is how individual it is but still being part of a team and getting their support. I also love being involved in every play and constantly moving and adjusting. I have stuck with tennis for so long because I enjoyed the game and made so many good friends through tennis. For the longest time, I also wanted to become a professional, once reality set in and I became older I realized that was quite far out of reach.”

Having the range and speed on the court has been her biggest weapon, “I believe my biggest asset is my speed. It has helped me so many times to win a point and even stay in the rally longer. There have been very few shots that I cannot get to.”

Tennis legend Roger Federer is a legend that Natalie admires for his ability and attitude: “I look up to Roger Federer because he is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Not just because of his game but because of his strong mentality and how smart he was on and off the court. There was never a tennis player who had anything bad to say about Federer, and I think that means more than anything.”

Natalie appreciates the time she has spent with her teammate, Lauren, “I would like to give a shoutout to Lauren, my doubles partner, who has been one of my best teammates and friends. I always knew I could count on her, and she would be on my side. I could not have asked for a better teammate than her.”