From Turkey with Love: Ipek Birol Feature
Dec 1, 2014 | Women's Tennis
From Turkey with Love: Life on and off the Court with Ipek Birol
by Helen Floersh
NEW ORLEANS - The first ball sailed over the fence. The second...hit the net.
Ipek Birol shakes her head. She is describing her two-hit placement test at the 2011 Botticelli Tennis Program summer camp in Bradenton, Fla. The camp is a division of the famed IMG Academy and the organization's alumni roster reads like a Wimbledon bracket with the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Andre Agassi and Maria Sharapova.
At 16-years old, Birol was no stranger to success on the court. At home in Turkey, she ranked among the top-10 players of her age group and had already swept four straight championships in addition to appearing in the 2009 European Youth Olympic Games. In fact, the Istanbul native was set to skip the first weekend of camp for a trip to Romania, where she would represent her home country in the 2011 European Summer Cup. She had come to IMG after a family holiday-- and a two-week hiatus from practice-- but had high hopes of impressing American college recruiters.
Despite her disappointment, Birol quickly regained her composure. Her prowess on the court caught the eye of her group's assistant coach, Michael Johnson, who requested to be her hitting partner during sessions and soon he revealed that he was a volunteer coach for the women's tennis team at Tulane University.
"At the time, I had never heard of Tulane," Birol said. Though an excellent student and wonderful writer, Birol understood that her status as an international student might limit her college list. She had not even considered attending a ranked institution, much less one with the sort of reputation that Johnson described.
But the weather had different ideas.
One afternoon, a torrential storm drove the players indoors. As tornado sirens wailed outside, Johnson approached Birol and sat down.
"He brought up Tulane again," Birol said. "I told him I was already talking to other schools, but he kept showing me pictures anyway, saying, 'Look how much fun these girls are having!'" She laughs. "After chatting for a while, I realized he was serious about getting me there."
Johnson reached out to Birol's family, who consulted her college advisor back in Istanbul. His response?
"He said, 'Tulane is like a dream for us,'" remembers Birol. "It was a huge deal."
Though Birol insisted on keeping her options open, Johnson was sure Tulane would be a perfect fit. After her official visit, she enthusiastically agreed.
"It was just so beautiful," Birol said. "There was no question that it was where I wanted to be."
Still, as the time to move to Tulane drew nearer, Birol had her doubts. She makes no attempt to stifle the heartbreak she felt in the days prior to her journey from Istanbul to New Orleans.
"Back home in Turkey, my friends are like my family," Birol explains. "For the last three weeks before I left, they were coming over, bringing surprises, even crying with me. I love Istanbul, I love my country. I want to live there for the rest of my life."
Birol pauses. "My dad, though, he knew better."
Highly respected in Istanbul for both his business acumen and his generosity, it is her father, Sedat Birol, who his daughter credits with instilling her passion for tennis. Her earliest memories are of matches with her father on the city's courts, where they would play for hours while her mother and grandmother looked on.
"Dad grew up playing in the clubs in Istanbul," Birol said. "He could have easily done it professionally, but he wanted to pursue education instead."
This ambition took him first to Germany, where he was trained as a chemical engineer, then to the United States. After earning a Master's degree from Florida Atlantic University, Sedat Birol returned to Istanbul. Today, he serves as the executive Vice President of a Turkish pharmaceutical company, and also as his daughter's greatest inspiration.
"When we were sitting on the plane, I remember telling him that I wanted to stay in Turkey and go to a university at home instead," recalls Birol. "He didn't say it was too late, but he encouraged me to give it a shot. He said to trust him and that everything would be okay in about three weeks."
"He was always very honest about what I would face coming here, and as impatient as I was to get through the adjustment phase, it really helped to know what was ahead. We have gone through the same process, so we really understand each other," Birol said. "He is my hero."
Her father's support, along with that of her mother, grandmother and friends back in Istanbul, has been vital to Birol's success at Tulane. But there is another family she cites as having played an integral role in her transition.
"When I first got here, I was just so lucky that I had my teammates," Birol said. She recalls their unfaltering support during her first big struggle as a Green Wave tennis player: the mile test.
"I didn't pass for two weeks," Birol exclaims in disbelief. "But my teammates supported me every day. They even lined up around the track- all 10 of them- and cheered me on while I ran."
Though many of those to whom Birol was closest have since graduated from Tulane, she happily reports that they remain good friends.
"They were one of the most important parts of my life here," Birol said. "They made my first year very special."
Of course, this is not to say that her premier season with the Green Wave will stand as the height of her Tulane career. For Birol, entering the American Athletic Conference alongside a talented new team means there is still plenty of excitement ahead.
"With so many teammates, you get exposed to lots of different playing styles," Birol said. A roster of 10, including four freshmen, allows for lots of doubles combinations. Birol believes this will serve as a competitive edge. "That has helped us grow stronger."
In regards to the upcoming season, Birol is equally confident that the Green Wave's fall preparation will pay off.
"I think this will be a transition year for us and I think we will get back into the national rankings," Birol said.
As for her personal goals, Birol's motivation is clear: She is here for a good time, receive a great college education and win matches. "I have two seasons left and I want to enjoy every match," Birol said. Fortunately, her idea of "fun" bodes well for the Green Wave.
"Of course I want to bring home the 'W.' But, I also want to compete well. There is something so addicting about playing against outstanding players. I love the challenge."
Tulane head women's tennis coach Terri Sisk can vouch for that. Though she says there are innumerable stories that speak to Birol's competitive nature, one in particular stands out.
"At the end of Ipek's freshman year, she was playing in a heated contest against SMU when she began to cramp intensely," Sisk recalls. "As much pain as she was in, she played through it and came back from a 2-4 deficit in her third set to clinch the match."
According to Sisk, Birol shines just as brightly off the court. "Even from our very first meeting on her official visit, we knew there was something special about her," Sisk said. "There are lots of intangibles that set her apart, but I think the one that stands out the most is her brilliant personality. She is simply a magnet to people in every facet of her life."
That knack for forging connections will serve Birol well in her future endeavors. A Communications major, who is contemplating a Psychology minor, Birol has made both the Dean's List and the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll throughout her tenure at Tulane. Her leadership skills have not gone unnoticed by her teammates. She was elected to the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) as one of two representatives from women's tennis at the end of her freshman year, and continues to boost SAAC's campus presence through her role directing the organization's social media. She intends to pursue a Master's in Business Administration in Barcelona after graduation, and although she will likely leave her on-court career behind, Birol knows that athletics will remain a dominant fixture in her life no matter where she lands next.
"I started playing tennis at five," Birol said. "I have always been an athlete. I think I would like to get into the business side of the industry, or maybe sports psychology."
No matter what she pursues, there can be no doubt that Birol's star has only just begun to rise. Though others may cite her stellar work ethic, energetic personality and insatiable competitive drive, Birol insists that the key to her success is nothing intrinsic.
"I have goals I want to accomplish," Birol said. "But I would be nothing without my family and friends. They are so supportive."
And ever so fittingly for one whose talents have taken her across the globe, Birol adds: "My parents, my friends in Turkey and my teammates and coaches mean the world to me."
Players Mentioned
