Lele Forood (born 10 September 1956) is the Peter and Helen Bing director of women's tennis at Stanford University. She has been the head coach since 2001, and has won 10 NCAA Championships. Previously, she was a top amateur and college tennis player. As a professional, she is best known for reaching the doubles semifinals at the 1977 US Open and at the 1978 US Open, upsetting reigning Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade. Forood reached a high ranking in singles of No. 30.

Amateur/College years

Forood was the high school state champion in Florida, then became a student at

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

in 1974. She became a pro tennis player after her sophomore year in college, then returned to Stanford University and graduated in 1979 with a degree in sociology. While playing at Stanford, she was named an All-American in 1976. She also was a National Collegiate singles finalist as a freshman and a semifinalist during her sophomore campaign in leading Stanford to two second place national finishes.

Pro career

In 1976, she and Raquel Giscafré reached the doubles semifinals at the US Open. Two years later, at the 1978 US Open, she upset third-seeded Virginia Wade in three sets in the third round. Forood won gold in singles and doubles in the 1975

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. Forood was a member of the Board of Women's Tennis Association from 1979 to 1987 and served as its secretary-treasurer from 1983 to 1987. She was the recipient of the

WTA Player Service Award This article lists the WTA Awards given by the Women's Tennis Association to players and coaches for achievements during a season or their careers. Player of the Year Doubles Team of the Year Most Improved Player Newcomer of the Yea ...

in 1983. After the tour and before coming back to Stanford, she promoted the first professional women's tour event in France from 1986 to 1988 in Strasbourg.

Coaching career

Forood was hired as an assistant coach at Stanford under Frank Brennan, who coached her as a junior and as a pro. During this time, Forood was recognized in 1997 as the

ITA Ita or ITA may refer to : Places and jurisdictions * ITA, ISO 3166-1 country code for Italy * Ita (Africa), an ancient city and former bishopric in Roman Mauretania, presently a Latin Catholic titular see * Itá, Paraguay People * Ita (prin ...

Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year. When Brennan retired as head coach after the 2000 season, Forood took his place. In 2001, her first year as head coach, Stanford won the NCAA championship, making her the first female coach to win the NCAA team title in tennis. Her team has appeared in the NCAA tournament every year since she began coaching in 2001, and her team has won 10 national titles. As of the end of the 2022 season, her record is 510-57. During her coaching career at Stanford, she achieved multiple championships. The team also accomplished an 89-match winning streak across three seasons (2004–2006). The home court 184-match winning streak at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Stadium, which extended from the 1999 season to the finals of the NCAA championship in 2011 was one of the longer home winning streaks of any intercollegiate sport in NCAA Division I history. Among the top tennis players who have played for her at Stanford include Nicole Gibbs, Mallory Burdette, Amber Liu and Kristie Ahn.

Head coaching record at Stanford

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forood, Lele Living people Stanford Cardinal women's tennis coaches Stanford Cardinal women's tennis players Tennis players at the 1975 Pan American Games American female tennis players Pan American Games medalists in tennis 1956 births Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States American tennis coaches Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games