The 2020 Senior Perspectives is the 15th in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of teams at Harvard have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Harvard.

Alexis (Lexi) Milunovich
Hometown: New Canaan, Conn.
Concentration: Economics
House Affiliation: Adams

My first tennis tournament at age ten was at the Murr Tennis Center. I fell in love with Harvard at the same time I was falling in love with the sport. I was in awe of the bustling campus, beautiful Georgian buildings and the possibility of wearing a Crimson uniform. Little did I know that the sport would develop into a passion and that Harvard would become my home.
 
One of my fondest memories is participating in winning the Ivy League Championship in 2017. After we won the doubles point, we needed three of the six singles matches to win the title. Championship matches feel tighter as every point seems to count. Aided by cheering teammates, I pulled out the first set tiebreaker then won the second set 6-1 to be the second singles match to finish. When the third singles match was won, we stormed the court and celebrated our victory. It meant so much to us because not only was it a great success for our team but it was the Harvard women's tennis program's first title in eight years.
 
I remember the successes, but also the challenges of being a student-athlete. Freshman year, I ran from practice and fitness straight to the Ec-10 midterm, hungry and sweaty. Scheduling classes was always a puzzle with practice schedules and ever-changing graduation and core curriculum requirements. Some professors counted missing class for competition as an "unexcused absence." The time management skills I have developed will be useful forever. The friendships built through winning, losing and training with my teammates, I cherish.
 
As a team captain, I had an opportunity to develop leadership skills and make many memories with the team. I was fortunate to be chosen to represent Harvard in the Seabright Cup and spend six weeks playing tennis in England and Scotland. We were guests in the royal box at Wimbledon and competed against Oxford and Cambridge on the Wimbledon courts. Later that summer I trained with the Harvard women's tennis team at Raphael Nadal's Tennis Academy in Barcelona. The team also traveled to California, Ohio, Washington D.C. and Louisiana. At these matches we were supported and often hosted by generous alumni and former players. It has been an honor to represent Harvard in the U.S. and abroad. I will treasure these memories and feel tied to the program forever.
 
Thank you to Harvard Athletics, my teammates, coaches and friends of Harvard Tennis for life lessons: discipline to do my best every day, commitment to be there for teammates on and off the court and resilience to recover from setbacks. This program has shaped me to become the person I am today; and for that I am grateful.