SAN ANTONIO, TX – When Dr. Annette Zaharoff first picked up a tennis racket at the University of Michigan in 1973, she had no idea she was about to help change the world of women’s sports at the school. She was among the first members of a newly organized women’s varsity tennis team at a time when college sports for women really didn’t exist.
"I took a class and the instructor said, 'You know, I think we have a women's tennis team. Maybe you should try out," she said. "And I thought, 'Wow. That would be kind of fun.'”
Zaharoff said in reality, it also was a challenge. Unlike their male counterparts, the female “team” members were not given uniforms and often had to travel to tournaments on their own.
"As a team, we may get two tennis balls to practice at our practice, each. If you went to the men's practice, they'd have 16 buckets of balls," Zaharoff said.
Still, they persisted. Zaharoff eventually went on to play in professional events, including the Australian Open. She said she learned lessons that have lasted a lifetime.
"Playing tennis taught me discipline, leadership, camaraderie. Physically, it gave me a lot of confidence," she said.
All of those qualities have come in handy in her life now, as a physician specializing in sports medicine.
Zaharoff, known as “Dr. Z,” is considered a trailblazer in that field too, and is the founder of The Non-Surgical Center of Texas, located in San Antonio.
Still, one thing had been missing all these years. She realized what it was when she recently received a varsity letter jacket from the University of Michigan — more than 40 years after she played on the varsity tennis team. During her days at the school, the jackets were awarded only to male athletes.
"It's just an encompassing experience to have that jacket on and think, 'You represent sports, women, the university," Zaharoff said. "Even though it's going to be 90 degrees today, I am a very happy camper to be able to put this jacket on. "
She said although friends may grow tired of the heavyweight navy and beige jacket with the yellow “M” on it, she never will. She wears this piece of her past with pride.
The future also holds a lot of big things in store for Zaharoff. She has been asked to serve on the official medical team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
While she considers it a great honor, Zaharoff jokes that she’s not sure whether that or the letter jacket is tops in her mind.
"When I'm at the Olympics, it'll be the Olympics but I might wear my jacket because it's going be cold,” she said. “But the jacket's pretty historic."