Riske reveals how a helper got her to turn pro, fast

In a new UTR all-access video, Alison Riske shares the story of how a benefactor reportedly known merely as Tom got her to the WTA touring life sooner than she ever expected.

It may be a tale she has opened up about a time or two before, but as reported by Zoo Tennis, she goes into more depth about the the supporter, who aided her quest to make the most of her prodigious tennis talent.

Thus she went from thoughts of college play to, well, the world.

"It was two weeks before I was supposed to go," she says in the clip for UTR, where her husband, Stephen Amritraj, notably serves as an executive. "I had my roommate, I had my comforters picked out, and two weeks before classes were set to begin at Vanderbilt, I had a family friend call me up. I'll never forget where I was, I was in our condo in Hilton Head in our living room, and he randomly called."

Read the rest at Zoo Tennis for some paused-play inspiration, and then chase that with the likewise off-court highlights of her bubbly Q&A after an Australian Open victory in January, in simpler times. And above all else, in and outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, keep Riske's arc in mind, and don't let your own dreams be just dreams.