Julie Thu

Andrea Barnes is one of the lucky few who have been able to live out a passion for tennis in both her professional and recreational life.  A current resident of Palo Alto CA, Andrea has been involved in tennis in Northern California since her youth.  Growing up in San Francisco, she took advantage of the amazing programming at the many playgrounds around the city.  The year she turned 11, her local playground offered free group tennis lessons for an hour each morning.  She attended all of the sessions, and at the end was one of the few invited to attend two-hour group lessons at the Golden Gate Park courts for the next eight weeks.  Thus was born a love affair with tennis that has continued for decades. 

Andrea played tennis collegiately at Stanford University from 1972-75, a time when women’s collegiate tennis was very different than it is now. They played at the “women’s courts” on the other side of the campus from the “varsity courts” where the men played.  There were no athletic scholarships for women at the time and little institutional support for travel.  Stanford’s league included several colleges in Northern California, ranging from small schools that would now play D3 to UC Berkeley.  There was little team travel, although she was able to play the Ojai Intercollegiate Tournament which included many strong West Coast teams.  Each school could send one singles player and one doubles team to the event.  The Women’s team drove down in an old car one of the players owned and stayed at the Motel 6 in Ventura (where the early rounds of the women’s tournament were played) while the Men’s team flew down and stayed and played in Ojai proper. 

Upon graduation, Andrea planned to work for a year or two teaching tennis to save money for graduate school, but she found that she loved being a tennis pro so much that graduate school didn’t happen.  She did not stray far from her Stanford roots and became the Tennis Director at the Stanford Campus Recreation Association, a facility for faculty families.  She remained there until 2014 when she left to become the Executive Director of the US Professional Tennis Association Northern California.  The move has allowed her to continue working in tennis while at the same time striving to raise the coaching standards of the sport.  Andrea also teaches in the junior program at Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos, which keeps her in touch with youth tennis. 

Andrea has given freely of her time and talents to the tennis world, serving on a variety of USTA Committees at the Sectional and National levels, including Junior Local Play and Competition and Junior Team Tennis Committees.  She is passionate about providing programming for the youngest players and finding a place for kids who may not want to be highly competitive players, but who want to compete and enjoy the sport.  Andrea has also given her time as a lead coach for the USTA’s Early Development Camps, helping to bring young kids who show promise together for focused, age-appropriate training and character development.  She has been an NWTO member since she began competing in the 35s age division, and her dedication to adult women’s tennis was evidenced when she recently took the helm of NWTO as co-president from 2019-2021. She continues to give freely of her time as a current board member. 

And what has tennis given Andrea?  She frequently tells people that she has more childhood friends than almost anyone else she knows.  Since she’s been in the SF Bay Area her whole life, she runs into long-time tennis friends on and off the court frequently.  She has a great cohort of players who grew up together on the Golden Gate Park courts, and they still hold regular reunions all of these years later–a testament to the way tennis brings people together through community and friendship.  Andrea was also able to get her late husband into tennis as an adult, and they enjoyed playing mixed doubles together. What makes her happiest today is simply realizing that she got SO lucky to find something at a young age that she has enjoyed doing for more than 50 years now.  

In her free time, Andrea is an avid walker/hiker. She feels lucky to live in a place with a mild climate; a great day for her includes at least an hour-long walk in the hills around her house. She’s a self-proclaimed bad, but enthusiastic gardener, who is constantly pulling weeds and trying to rid her yard of gophers.  She also regularly volunteers to prepare and serve meals at a small seasonal homeless shelter for women. 

At Intersectionals last month in Phoenix, it was not a surprise to anyone that Andrea was honored as the recipient of the Margaret M. Russo Sportsmanship Award, an award that recognizes a love of the game along with respect and concern for fellow competitors. Says her doubles partner Leslie Airola-Murveit, “Andrea respects all players, whether they are friends or first-time opponents. She keeps the court competition light to ensure a positive and fun experience for all and always gives the benefit of the doubt to her opponent. She never seeks the spotlight and downplays her talent." Andrea is a great example of humility and sportsmanship, and her passion for tennis has benefited many over the years.