Houston, Texas born freshman Reese Walker would describe herself as independent because of how she understood the importance of sacrifice from a young age with traveling and chasing her dreams.

The sports lifestyle was something set in stone for Walker before she knew what it was, coming from a family who was always involved in sports. Her father’s side of the family found their lane in basketball and her mother’s side mastered softball and tennis.

Having two other siblings, Walker found a role model in her older brother who also played college tennis.

“I kind of just followed after my brother when he started playing tennis, so I started that at four,” Walker said.

Walker and her siblings were pushed to find what made them most happy in sports. Their parents made sure it was something they could be in for a long period of time.

With the variety of sport background from her parents, Walker merged into every lane before finding the one she was the most comfortable with.

“I played a lot of sports like tennis, gymnastics, swimming, every single sport, but I just kind of kept coming back to tennis because that was the one I was just really like ‘Ok, I can do this,’” Walker said.

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Betting on herself was the right decision for Walker. She went on to gain notoriety early in her career from all the hard work she put in. In the International Tennis Federation Juniors rankings she was ranked 301 in 2023.

Not only was she solidifying herself worldwide, but in her home state of Texas she ranked 11th and 39th in the nation.

Walker didn’t quite prepare herself for the constant traveling that came with international tennis events. Walker’s family decided to have her homeschooled after trying to balance this reality during her elementary and middle school years. This allowed her to put all attention into her future of becoming a great tennis player.

International play for Walker was the real starting point for her tennis career. Walker faced competition throughout the world and made lifelong friends and memories. In her time of travel competition she was able to play in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and other countries.

“I mostly went to Spanish speaking places and growing up I spoke a lot of Spanish, so I wanted to pick that back up,” Walker said. “I really loved it over there and got to learn new things, as well as I played my best tennis.”

Going from country to country could be extremely difficult without having familiar faces around you. This was a constant reality for Walker, but it was not something that deterred her from understanding the sacrifices being made.

“Of course I missed my family a lot, but I’m not much of a homesick type of person,” Walker said. “I was surrounded by a lot of friends I made and we kind of all became each other’s second family.”

Following the early trends in her tennis career it was time for another big move, that move was seen in Walker taking her talents and determination to Sacramento State. Another big change for her in the sense that, again, a familiar face was not present while also being the only Black player on the team.

“It just feels a little bit lonely sometimes, so it can be hard representation wise,” Walker said. “Within the team though everyone has a different nationality so that allows for us to all be open minded.”

Having a group where all walks of life are evident and respected in their own different ways, opens the door for a family-like atmosphere seen in the Sac State women’s tennis team today. They currently have a record of 14 wins and 6 losses.

“I love what I see, the team has a lot of potential,” Sac State head coach Sophie Breault said. ”I’m excited to see Reese develop, the biggest thing I love is her energy.”

Providing a spark of energy isn’t something new to Walker as she prides herself on being a light in any room she walks in. She said, it’s the confidence and sometimes “delusion” that keeps her going. A stance she follows comes from comedian and actress Tina Fey who said, “Confidence is 10% hard work, and 90% delusion.”

The everyday impact being made from Walker is shown in her interactions with teammates and how she holds the high regard of being a dependable friend to her teammates.

“Having Reese as a teammate has been an amazing experience, and her energy in practice helped me through my hardest moments,” freshman teammate Irene Riva said. “From Reese I learned that I don’t need to take myself so seriously all the time.”

Walker said being a centerpiece for the Hornets is vital for her as she navigates the remainder of her freshman year on the team. What most may not know is that she is doing all of this with only 60 percent lung function, showing the determination and love she has for the game with what might be her biggest obstacle..

“I have to take more time off of practice, I literally have to figure out how to breathe half of the time,” Walker said. “I think it made me work ten times harder in the sport than most people, so it’s me and my inhaler out there.”

To be a woman of color in the world of tennis can sometimes also prove to be a major roadblock. Understanding this reality has influenced Walker to model herself in a way that shows other young women that they too, are capable.

According to Zippia professional tennis demographic reports, only 8.9% of athletes within tennis are Black or African American. This shows the reality in which a sport has not represented the Black culture in a way that can be celebrated or appreciated.

“There’s not a lot of people that look like us in this sport, or sometimes in a small state you may be in,” Walker said.

Walker has solidified a strong career and future at Sac State. Walker is a model of what it means to face adversity in multiple facets, yet still come out on the other side as a strong, smart and independent Black woman.

“I just say don’t be worried about what people are saying about you, wear your hair how you want to and don’t get into a thing where you’re scared to be a stereotype,” Walker said.