Thereafter, I followed her swift ascendancy in the women’s game as she became the youngest quarterfinalist at the French Open in 1981 when she was 14 years and two-and-a-half months old. As they say, Rinaldi kept on keeping on, reaching the semifinal of Wimbledon in 1985, finishing 1986 at No. 9 in the world (after rising to a career high of No. 7), toppling the likes of Steffi Graf and Hana Mandlikova over the course of her distinguished career.
But more recently Rinaldi has been deeply devoted to the field of coaching, and has done extraordinary work in that capacity. She currently is Lead National Coach, Team USA—Pro Women for USTA Player Development. In 2012 and 2014, she was coach for the victorious U.S. 16-and-under Fed Cup teams, and she displayed impressive leadership skills in coaching the U.S. women in the 2015 Pan-American Games. Moreover, in 2009 and 2010, Rinaldi coached the 14-and-under American contingents to triumphs in the World Junior Tennis competition. Moreover, back in 2006 when Zina Garrison was the American Fed Cup captain, Rinaldi was the coach for the U.S.
Given Rinaldi’s excellent background as a player and coach, it was unsurprising and fitting that she would be chosen by the USTA to succeed Mary Joe Fernandez as the Fed Cup captain. Her credentials were outstanding. Her reputation as a straight-shooter with unshakable values and a clear-eyed vision of how to handle the captaincy is unassailable. Her fundamental decency and deep integrity are defining traits. Rinaldi is a player’s captain who knows what they need and understands how to provide it.
We spoke by phone last week, and I asked at the outset of our talk if she saw the captaincy coming. How surprised was she when suddenly it was front and center on her agenda?
Replies Rinaldi, “I didn’t see it coming but when Mary Joe stepped down I definitely threw my name in the hat, knowing that it was going to be tough because I am sure there were many worthy candidates for the job. Loving what I have been doing with the USTA and really enjoying the coaching