Kristie Ahn Hoping to Inspire Others to Pursue Professional Tennis
Tennis - American Kristie Ahn says that she hopes to inspire other Korean-Americans, Asian-Americans and Koreans in general by pursuing professional tennis. Ahn has a Stanford degree but chose to pursue professional tennis rather than a job in Silicon Valley for now - something that she hopes will inspire others to follow their own path.
Speaking to Yonhap News Agency, Ahn says, "I am enjoying my time. This opportunity doesn't come around a lot. I think everyone has their own path. Hopefully, after tennis, I'll get a good job in Silicon Valley. My father asked, 'Why would you turn down stability for risk?'" Ahn said. "For me, the answer is passion. I think that's what every tennis player can agree with. I've always said my goals are not ranking based. For me, it's always been more, 'How can I use this platform to impact others and influence other Korean-Americans, Asian-Americans and Koreans in general? And it will hopefully allow me to give me a stepping stone into life after tennis. I don't know exactly what that will be, but hopefully, it will be something I can be passionate about, just like tennis."
Ahn is playing the Seoul Open in Korea this week and given her background (both her parents are Korean), she received plenty of crowd support this week, including calling her by her Korean name Hae-rim. "I feel honored to have so many people come out and support me. Only my family calls me Hae-rim, so this is different. It's weird, but it's not a bad thing."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/31Kzr6v
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