Hall of Fame Inductee: Alison Riske-Amritraj

“She is fun, caring, extremely kind, humble and totally genuine,” Irwin said.

“If it hadn’t been for Jan, I don’t know where I would be,” Riske-Amritraj said. “Jan was the mainstay and the person I would always go back to. She has been an unbelievable support system.”

Through all of her success, she stayed humble. She continued to train on the community courts, and was always accessible and helpful to the people around her. She stayed close with her family as her siblings continued to stay involved with the game (Sarah competing at Vanderbilt University and Dan competing at West Liberty State).

Although her high school education was virtual through the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Riske-Amritraj played on the Peters Township High School tennis team during the 2006 fall season, building friendships and enjoying all that team tennis offers. That year she led her team to the State Championship title, while also taking home the singles title.

Not a bad freshman year, right?

The following year, Riske-Amritraj won the USTA National Collegiate Clay Court Championships and earned a spot in the US Open qualifying draw. She also finished second at the USTA National Hardcourts and won the USTA Girls’ 18 National Championship Sportsmanship Award. She earned the No. 1 ranking in the country in the Girls' 18s category. 

That’s when the potential for playing tennis at the next level entered the discussion.

Riske-Amritraj went on to work with Yves Boulais, the husband of former professional Patricia Hy-Boulais. She trained alongside her sister and also had training spots that took her to South Carolina, among other locations.

She reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 in 2019 and has evolved into one of the most consistent and accomplished Americans of the last decade, dominating her performances on grass courts.

Her best singles performances include reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2019, the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2020, and the fourth round of the US Open in 2013 and 2022. She also represented the United States at the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) in 2017 and 2022. In doubles, she reached the 2019 Australian Open semifinals with Jennifer Brady and the 2020 US Open quarterfinals with Gabriela Dabrowski, achieving a career-high ranking of No. 40 on January 13, 2020. 

Riske-Amritraj has had numerous career wins over current and former top 10-players such as Ash Barty, Elina Svitolina, Sloane Stephens, and Naomi Osaka. 

In July 2019, she married Stephen Amritraj in Pittsburgh. 

Even as a top-tier athlete, Riske-Amritraj doesn’t forget where she comes from. Family friend, John Delura, mentioned that when she comes back to the Pittsburgh area, she finds ways to stay involved with the community.

“She's a kind and giving person who hasn’t forgotten where her roots started,” he said.

She has organized a free tennis clinic at Peters Lake Park where she demonstrates skills and stays to talk to players about the sport. She’s donated full bags of tennis apparel to underserved areas in the community and stays in touch with her childhood coaches about ways she can contribute. 

“That’s the beauty of Peters Township,” Riske-Amritraj said. “It is a small community and they’ve all followed me since it all began. It really means a lot. Pittsburgh will always be home for me.”

Riske-Amritraj’s career is far from over. After having much success, it’s her attitude towards the game that keeps her going. 

“She is an example of amazing resilience through all the adversity and challenges the professional tennis player experiences,” Irwin said. “There is no indication she will quit anytime soon.”

“I am beyond proud of her,” her sister added. “What she has achieved is so commendable and people just don’t truly understand how big it is to be in the top 50 for a decade. It’s so fun to watch her and see her be so successful.”