Growing up, Dr. Nisha Suda's parents encouraged her and her sister Nina, both budding tennis phenoms, to become scholar-athletes. They wanted them to pursue the highest level of education while also chasing their dreams of professional tennis. Instead of relocating to Florida, where the training centers were, and compromising their education, their family chose to stay in New Jersey, where they hosted numerous high-level tennis players from around the world.
"We had the opportunity to study, train, and still have family dinners together with our expanding international family," says Dr. Suda, who picked up her first tennis racquet at the age of eight. "All aspects were equally important and laid a solid foundation for wherever life took us."
Both Dr. Suda and her sister played high school tennis while also competing in United States Tennis Association (USTA) tournaments regionally and nationally, traversing the country from Florida to California, Arizona to Flushing, Queens—home of the USTA Tennis Center and the U.S. Open.
Transitioning from high school tennis to the USTA tennis circuit was not a significant leap, considering that her high school, Newark Academy, was renowned for its tennis program. During her four years there, the school secured four state championships, four conference championships, four county championships, and four Tournament of Champion titles. Dr. Suda remained undefeated, winning all 150 matches she played.
Next Level Training
Her exceptional skills on the court, alongside her sister's, led to more frequent trips to Florida, where they began training at the renowned International Tennis Academy, practicing six hours a day. Dr. Suda even earned sponsorships from Babolat, the oldest racquet sports company in the world (she proudly still owns her first Babolat racquets).
After completing high school, she trained in Barcelona at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment (C.A.R.) Sant Cugat, the site of the 1992 Olympics, and participated in junior tournaments there. Enduring six to eight hours of training per day on scorching red clay courts with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees challenged her greatly. Nonetheless, by the end of her training, both Dr. Suda and her sister successfully reached the finals of their last Junior Circuit Tournament in Spain before returning to the U.S.
The Closer
Dr. Suda received a recruitment offer to play Division 1 tennis at Cornell University, where her exceptional performance under pressure earned her the nickname "The Closer." She was named MVP in 2007 and served as team co-captain during her senior year.
Her sister also played Division 1 tennis at Columbia University. They occasionally found themselves in the delicate situation of playing against each other.
Coaching at Cornell
Following her undergraduate studies, Dr. Suda remained at Cornell University for two additional years as the Women's Varsity Tennis assistant coach while pursuing a Master’s in Health Administration – Policy Analysis & Management. Although offered the head coaching position, she declined, acknowledging that “Although I loved to compete, coaching had a different feel and required a different skill set, so I pivoted my career towards medicine with an ongoing interest in fitness and eventually metabolism,” said Dr. Suda.
The discipline and focus she developed on the tennis court proved invaluable during her medical studies. She attended medical school and completed her residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, followed by a fellowship at Yale. In 2018, she joined Montefiore Einstein as an assistant professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology. She currently serves as the director of Inpatient Diabetes at Weiler Hospital and director of the Pituitary Tumor Board Conference.
Reflecting on her training from childhood to adulthood, Dr. Suda recalled how her family never had a traditional Thanksgiving because there was always a national tournament taking place at the time and they would all go to the one open diner in town where the tournament was held. “When our careers ended, we thought ‘Oh, what do we do for Thanksgiving?’”
Although her professional responsibilities and the challenge of finding tennis partners in New York make it more difficult for her to play, she remains highly active and maintains a strong passion for fitness and athletic competition.
She still plays tennis with her sister, a new mom. And although she and her sister don’t get to have as frequent re-matches of their summer final in Spain, they are excited about the next generation. She gifted her newborn niece, Vera Suda Murphy, a tiny tennis racquet the day she was born. Said Dr. Suda, “We see a future tennis star.”
Posted on: Friday, June 09, 2023
