Inspired by Serena, Ellen Puzak is reaching for new heights at CU

Serena Williams has inspired so many people and changed the game not only as a tennis player, but also as a social activist off the court. 

She retired with 23 major titles, the second most all-time in tennis history, as well as four Olympic gold medals. While those numbers and stats may speak to her greatness as an athlete, the influence she had on tennis and equality is far more impressive.

She inspired athletes like senior CU tennis player Ellen Puzak, who has looked up to Serena on so many levels from the time she first saw her play. Puzak raved about Serena’s competitiveness. 

“Just her strength and her intensity and her determination in her eyes is really so motivating and inspiring.” 

It is not surprising to see how disciplined and determined Puzak is to take tennis to new heights at CU, both on and off the court.

Puzak and her doubles partner sophomore, Betina Tokac, got off to a strong start this season. After being randomly put together by their coach on the last day of a Fall Tournament, their chemistry and differing styles of play complemented each other’s games.

“She’ll just rip backhands and I’ll just try to get as close as possible and take as many volleys to finish the point,” said Puzak.

Puzak’s humble attitude came through when talking about this success. She credited the chemistry she built with Tokac to the relationship she has formed on and off the court. 

“Our closeness off the court also helps because we can be more relaxed when we’re together on the court. We just have a great time together.” 

Puzak’s success this year didn’t come easily. Throughout her career here at CU, Puzak also had a myriad of challenges thrown at her. At first, adjusting to the altitude in Colorado was difficult. At over 5,000 ft above sea level, CU is the only school in the Pac-12 that is significantly above sea level. 

“It’s more difficult to breathe in higher altitudes, but that’s not all,” Puzak said. “The ball flies way more, requiring the use of different balls with lower compression and rackets strung with a tighter string tension.” 

Then, a shoulder injury set her back eight months and caused her to miss her freshman fall season. The COVID-19 pandemic ended her spring season. She didn’t play her sophomore year, instead spending that year focusing on building her game and getting back to the place she is today. 

“I thought I would play. I thought I was good enough,” said Puzak. “I felt kind’ve let down, kind’ve lost a lot of confidence, pretty discouraged.”

Throughout that stretch, Puzak worked on developing mental toughness. She learned from coaching early in her tennis career about mentality and believing in yourself. 

“It’s all in your head, you just have to believe, which is the hardest part.”

Puzak’s discipline extends to achievement off the court. She was valedictorian of her high school, which gave her choices amongst the most prestigious academic institutions. But when it came to deciding where to go to college, she ultimately chose a balance of a rigorous degree in engineering and Division I tennis, and chose CU over MIT.

“I realized that I thought that there wasn’t enough tennis at MIT,” said Puzak. “I felt like [CU] was a better combination of school and tennis.”

In 2007, Williams won Wimbledon and became the first woman to be paid the same amount  as her male counterpart. Like Williams, Puzak believes in equal pay. She thinks the pay in tennis is more equal compared to other sports. The US women’s national soccer team is now closing the gap, however most other teams in professional sports have not. 

“I think that the women and men who work the same job, at the end of the day do the same training,” said Puzak. “They put the same hours in for practice, so I think they should be paid equally.”

Fortunately for the Buffs, Puzak will play next year as she finishes her degree in engineering at CU. She will then maybe pursue her master’s and a career in engineering. 

“I really feel like I could help build things or help people. I’m also interested in doing a master’s in environmental or architectural engineering.”

Puzak is continually raising the bar for what it means to be a student athlete at Colorado.