For Hannah Smith, tennis was never just about winning matches.

The graduating senior in sports business said many of her best memories from DePaul have little to do with results on the court. Instead, it’s the people, the early mornings, the long travel days and the routines that came with being part of a team for four years she’ll remember most.

“It’s hard to wake up at 5 a.m. to go to practice,” Smith said. “But I know all my best friends will be there.”

Smith’s relationship with tennis started early. Growing up in Silchester, England, Smith said sports were always a part of her life because of her family’s athletic background. Her mother played tennis, and Smith quickly connected with the sport herself. 

“We would go watch my mom play tennis, and a racquet got put into my hands,” Smith said.

Her early successes led her across the world to DePaul, where she became a two-time All-Big East First Team selection and totaled 57 singles wins and 83 doubles victories during her collegiate career.

As the only senior on this year’s roster, Smith has become one of the team’s steadiest leaders. Coaches and teammates say this comes to her naturally — not through speeches or titles, but through small daily actions that help shape the culture around her. 

“She does everything right, every day,” head coach Marisa Arce said. “She just genuinely cares so much about the people around her.”

Smith said a lot of that comes from learning how to handle unfamiliar situations early on.

Before moving to Chicago, she spent years traveling internationally for tournaments. One memory that stayed with her came when she was 12 years old and traveled alone from England to Sweden for a competition.

“It was scary,” Smith said. “But it taught me a lot about independence and adaptability.”

That mindset shows up in small ways, according to teammates.

Clara Nilsson, a freshman teammate, said Smith was one of the first people to reach out when she arrived in the U.S. from Sweden.

“She was texting me before I even met her,” Nilsson said. “She just made sure I was OK.”

Nilsson said Smith consistently notices things others overlook, whether that means checking in on teammates after practice or helping with something as simple as replacing a broken water bottle lid.

“She always puts everyone else first,” Nilsson said.

Junior teammate Helin Alvarez described Smith as both a mentor and role model throughout her time at DePaul.

“We call her ‘Google Muff’ because she literally knows everything,” Alvarez said, referring to Smith’s nickname of “Muffin.” 

Although tennis is traditionally framed as an individual sport, Smith said these friendships changed the way she experienced the game.

“The team culture here at DePaul is everything,” Smith said. 

Arce said building that culture has been an intentional process within the program, and Smith bought into it right away.

“She’s a natural role model,” Arce said. “She sees what needs to be done and just does it.”

Arce recalled a moment during Smith’s junior season when she repeatedly completed conditioning drills alongside a struggling teammate, despite already passing the fitness test herself.

While Smith still plans to keep tennis in her life after her upcoming graduation, she said she hopes to step away from competition temporarily after nearly two decades of nonstop play. 

“Competitive tennis has been my life for 18 years,” Smith said. “I just want to try something different for a little bit.”

She will be staying in Chicago postgraduation to pursue an internship. 

 Still, she said the lessons that she learned through DePaul tennis will stay with her long after college.

“I’ve learned to be grateful for every moment and to always be there for the people around you,” Smith said.

As the team prepares for next season without its lone senior, her teammates said Smith’s influence will continue through the culture she helped build over the last four years. 

“It doesn’t even feel real that she’s graduating,” Arce said. “She just shows up every single day willing to work and willing to be a great teammate.”

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