Coach McCormack
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"Working with these young women on and off the court excites me the most. I've had lots of life experiences, both positive and negative. I know what it's like to struggle and lose, to work hard and succeed, and to compete at all levels. I understand all aspects of competitive tennis from the emotional to the technical and strategic sides of the game. I look forward to working with eight or 10 student-athletes and motivating them to succeed on and off the court.” –Betsy Nagelsen McCormack, coach of the SCF Women's Tennis Team |
Betsy Nagelsen McCormack, a native Floridian, is a former world-class tennis player whose career spans the areas of competition, business and player development. Her on-court triumphs include holding the world No. 1 junior ranking and going on to win 25 doubles titles as a pro competing on the WTA and Virginia Slims circuits alongside such players as Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Her most notable wins are doubles championships in the Over 35 divisions of Wimbledon (1993) and the U.S. Open (1993, 1994). McCormack's team play also includes numerous years of national team play for Wightman Cup.
"I have real passion for the sport and a real heart to help young people work on improving their games and their whole attitude toward competing and winning—in life and in the classroom,” says Coach McCormack.
Complete Bio
Early in her career, McCormack succeeded in becoming the world’s top-ranked female junior tennis player in 1973. For the next 20 years, she competed on Women’s Tennis Association and Virginia Slims circuits, winning 25 world doubles titles, including two Grand Slams. She competed in the main draw at Wimbledon for 23 consecutive years, winning the over-35 doubles championship in 1993. McCormack also won the U.S. Open Senior women’s doubles title for two consecutive years.
In 1997, McCormack retired from competitive tennis after the birth of her daughter. She continued using her expertise in tennis, working as an analyst for ABC Sports, ESPN, and Australia’s Channel 9. McCormack is also coauthor of two books, “In His Court,” and “Fit Over Forty for Dummies.”
Her late husband, Mark H. McCormack, was founder and chairman of International Management Group (IMG) and widely recognized as the inventor of sports marketing. Following his passing in 2003, the company was sold to a longtime family friend, Ted Forstmann, founder of Forstmann Little and the financier of recognized brands, Gulfstream and Dr. Pepper.
McCormack is active in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women’s Hall of Fame at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center at the College of William & Mary. She also serves on the boards of First Serve Inc., the International Sports Coalition, and Leadership Foundations of America. In 1997, she was honored as the recipient of the House of Hope Humanitarian Award for her service to House of Hope, an Orlando ministry for troubled teens.
