When one looks at the life of UW tennis star Lindsay Martin, he would probably say she was destined to play tennis. Tennis seems to run through the blood of the Martin family.

“My dad, he is a tennis pro; my brother played college tennis at Illinois State University; and my mom plays recreationally. So it kind of runs in the family,” said Martin.

The junior standout got a jump-start on the game at an early age.

“I probably started when I was like five years old,” Martin said. “[My dad] got me started when I was pretty young.”

However, it took her many years to figure out that she wanted to play at the collegiate level.

“I didn’t really take [tennis] that seriously until I was about 14 or so, and then I started getting into the higher competitions,” Martin said. “And I think when you are playing against people who that is their goal, you think, ‘I could do that too.’ So it just kind of became like the natural progression. Once you realize that is your goal, it kind of gives you something to always strive for. So probably when I was in high school, I knew I wanted to play in college, but I didn’t know I’d be playing at this level.”

Once she made the jump, she had very few problems adjusting to the collegiate level of competition. Her impressive record indicates her ability to adapt to the college game.

“In high school you kind of have some easy matches along the way, and when you get to this level, there are no easy matches,” Martin said. “Like every time you get on the court, you’re going to have to work hard, and, you know, try your hardest out there. So that is a big adjustment, just to raise your level of play each and every time you go out there on the court. But at the same time, it is nice to know that you have all the other girls on your team that are also at that same level. They can help you and push you and get to that level all the time, too.”

Martin also credits her coach for helping the talented junior develop the mental portion of her game.

“The biggest thing that I have learned is the whole mental aspect of the game. It’s huge,” said Martin, “and I think our coach, Patti (Henderson), has been really good; she focuses a lot on that part, and I still have a long ways to go. I think that has improved a little bit, and I think that helps a lot at this level.”

A two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Martin has adjusted to the academic stress facing an NCAA student athlete.

“You get used to it after a while. Missing the classes and stuff … it gets a little stressful sometimes, but I think you just pretty much get used to it,” said the Indiana native. “I think it actually helps because you know when you have that little block of time, you know you have to do your homework then. It kind of forces you to have to do [your homework] because you only have so much time to get it done.”

With a number of family members living in Wisconsin, UW naturally came into mind when it came time for Martin to decide where to go to school.

“[Wisconsin] was always kind of in the back of my mind, and all my family lives in Wisconsin,” Martin said. “So when the opportunity came, I thought it would be pretty cool to be able to come back up here again.”

Like many college students, Martin wanted to get away from home. Choosing Wisconsin has allowed her to have it both ways.

“[The decision] was between a couple of different schools, about three different schools, that I was trying to decide between, and then it just seemed like a perfect fit,” Martin said. “I wanted to get away from home, but I still had family around here. So I felt that I would have a support system up here. I thought it was a good compromise.”

Though Lindsay has left her Indiana home and traveled to Madison, tennis will always hold the Martin family together.