Q&A: Zeke Clark, pro tennis player & former Rally in the Valley champion

We caught up with the 2010, 2011 and 2013 USTA Missouri Valley Rally in the Valley (formerly Sweet 16) singles champion, Zeke Clark, for a Q&A discussion. Clark is one of the top players ever to come out of Oklahoma and is currently competing on the ATP and ITF professional tours.

Learn more and register for the upcoming Level 3 Closed Rally in the Valley junior tournament, which takes place June 12-15 at Edmond Center Court in central Oklahoma, by clicking here.

Where do you live now?

I am currently training out of Nashville, Tennessee. Home is Tulsa, Oklahoma, though, so always got to make it back to T-Town when I can.

Where did you live when you competed at the Sweet 16 (Rally in the Valley)?

Back in my Missouri Valley days I was living and training out of Tulsa, Oklahoma at the Trent Tucker Tennis Academy.

What is your favorite thing about the sport?

I love the one-on-one nature of the sport. You vs. me. I have always loved the competition and having the weight of that on your shoulders at times can be a lot, but at the same time it is why I still love and continue to play. Nothing beats it!

Favorite Sweet 16 moment?

Honestly, my favorite Sweet 16 memories have to be traveling with all the kids from Tucker and competing and spending that time on and off court with each other—players and coaches. We had such a tightknit group, so having each other's backs and supporting and competing at the top MoValley event was what I remember enjoying the most.

Tell us about your experiences with the Sweet 16 and what made it stand out from other tournaments.

Sweet 16 was always one of those events you had marked on your tournament calendar well in advance. You wanted to make sure you were playing your best tennis then, because you were going to be up against the toughest competition. Higher-level opponents and competition has always really fired me up and something I really look forward to. And that’s exactly the challenge and opportunity this event provided.

Did you go on to play college tennis?

After my junior tennis days I went on to play tennis at the University of Illinois where I finished up in May of 2021.

What were some of your standout accomplishments in tennis?

I am still playing full time professionally, so we will keep pushing for more as always. But some accolades I have achieved so far in my career are a career-high ATP singles ranking of 469 and doubles ranking of 209. In college I reached a career ITA ranking of No. 28 in singles and No. 14 in doubles. Two first-team All-Big Ten selections and a Big Ten Tournament title in 2021. In juniors I achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 47.

What are you doing now?

I am still playing full time. So traveling a ton and when I’m not playing tournaments I’m training and trying to make as much time to catch up with family as I can. It is a tough balance, but I am still loving it; will continue to play as long as that’s the case.

Are you married?

I am not married; very single. Hopefully will change at some point here sooner rather than later!

Last, do you have any advice for the junior players today?

If I had to offer one piece of advice to junior tennis players, it would be to not sweat the results one bit. Make it all about your all-round development as a player. Obviously the competition is important, and you need to be in that pressure-filled situation to really see growth. But the more concerned you get with results, points, UTR, this, that, you are already getting in your own way.

At the end of the day, junior tennis results will wash away. And it will be those that really were able to hone in and focus on their games that will flourish at higher levels of the sport. The game also becomes a heck of a lot more fun to play when you are doing just that. Just playing the game and not so uptight about a particular outcome.

A lot easier said than done, but that is one thing that I would preach to younger players. Enjoy the process and the day-to-day. If you do that, you will set yourself up nicely.