Peters' Riske learns to embrace the moment

Alison Riske wants to win. Perhaps too much sometimes.

As intense on the court as she is affable off it, the Peters native's career as a professional tennis player has skyrocketed over the past 12 months, in part because she has become willing to ease off.

“She has a better grasp on allowing herself to perform,” Riske's coach, Yves Boulais, said. “She tends to perform better on the biggest stage. Before, she was letting the event take control of her.”

Riske, who was ranked No. 179 at the end of the 2012 season, reached the fourth and third rounds of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, respectively, in 2013 after heeding Boulais' advice.

Take three deep breaths.

Take as much time as possible during changeovers.

Relax.

The result has been a career-best WTA ranking of No. 46, achieved Feb. 3. She currently is No. 47.

Such success has led to Riske making visits to the ESPN set during Grand Slams, a place where her bubbly, relentlessly positive personality shines through.

But on the court, where Riske has been enamored with tennis since age 3, she has gone from also-ran to American star.

“This is my fourth year on tour,” said Riske, who began working with Boulais in November 2012. “I think I've learned a lot, and I've matured. I had a lot of lessons to learn that I didn't in the first couple of years. I think now I understand it a bit more.”

A phenom is born

The youngest of three tennis-playing children, Riske began hitting balls outside her family's Canonsburg home with father Al, brother Dan and sister Sarah.

She worked with a personal coach, Janice Irwin, from ages 7 to 17, the pair honing Riske's game but also making sure to keep things light.

Some days, Riske would practice with her opposite hand, her left. On others, she would play with high school-aged girls or boys. To get a laugh, Irwin would line up silver pizza tins and have Riske hit them to see how much noise she could make.

“You had to keep her interest when she was young,” Irwin said.

Riske and Irwin talked about how professional players would swear or toss equipment. To this day, that's not part of Riske's game.

“It's really great when you can be that good and also be that good of a person,” Irwin said. “And it's not fake.”

Neither is this, though it is telling: At a tournament in Georgia when Riske was 12, Irwin said, she quietly asked Irwin to look in her closest, where Riske had lined up outfits for an exact number of matches — the number it would take to win the title.

Although Riske finished fifth and never wore her championship outfit, the memory hasn't left Irwin.

“We always talked about visualizing things,” Irwin said. “But no one told her to do that. She came up with that at 12.”

Riske won WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA singles championships at Peters Township in 2006 before eschewing high school tennis. She graduated from Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School and almost went to Vanderbilt but instead turned pro.

“It was like watching a video game,” said Brandt Bowman, Riske's high school coach for a year and longtime family friend. “She was just that much better than everybody. She never missed, but she was also aggressive.”

Finding a fit

When Riske turned pro in 2009, her goal was to crack the top 100. She finished her first year ranked No. 135.

Despite the seemingly strong debut, Riske was 0 for 3 at Grand Slam tournaments that year.

Her ranking as a second-year pro dipped to No. 179.

“I started to fall back because I was putting too much emphasis on things that weren't important,” Riske said. “My tennis was always there. Mentally, I didn't understand how to handle myself.”

Enter Boulais, who has represented Canada in the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympic Games.

Riske had worked with Boulais off and on since she was 14 years old but never could afford to work with him full time.

However, Riske realized she would have to make a financial investment to make it as a pro, that she would have to nail down a high-level coach, even if it cost a few extra bucks.

Riske started training with Boulais at Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Md., and the first order of business was getting her to settle down, to not fret over one bad serve, shot, return, point, game or set.

“I used to tell her that she looked like she was running from one battle to another,” Boulais said. “You at least have to walk. It's something she has made big improvements on.”

Riske couldn't agree more.

“I don't really have words,” Riske said. “He just brings so much to my tennis. I've learned so much from him. He's instilled a love for the game within me. I can't imagine it any other way.”

‘Sky's the limit'

Riske is studying to earn a business degree through Penn State's online program. She enjoys trips back to Pittsburgh, visiting family and stopping by Wholey's for a fish sandwich — her favorite Pittsburgh tradition.

She recently made a stop in Cleveland while playing for the U.S. Fed Cup Team. Although the Americans dropped a 3-1 decision to Italy, Riske was able to visit friends and family back home.

“I see how far I've come, and there's so much more to achieve,” she said. “It's exciting to wake up each day and try to get better than you were.”

Riske has done a lot of that recently, probably more so than any other female American player.

She said she gets about 60 congratulatory messages from friends and family every time she plays, no matter when her matches air here.

Usually her sister, Sarah, is the first to offer support.

The French Open starts May 25. It remains the one Grand Slam in which Riske has yet to make a run.

If recent history serves as any indication, she'll take another step forward — slowly, of course, three breaths at a time.

“The sky's the limit,” Riske said. “I've come a long way. I understand it a lot better. I'm just enjoying the process. Wherever the process takes me, I'm here for the ride.”

Jason Mackey is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jmackey@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mackey_Trib.