How Samaya Smith overcame mental adversity to become Warren Central's first tennis state champion

Indianapolis Star

23-06-2025

INDIANAPOLIS — After Samaya Smith lost the first set 6-2 in the IHSAA girls tennis individual state finals on June 14, Warren Central coach Jonn Patterson knelt next to his star player as she sat during the set break. Patterson reassured Smith victory was inevitable.
'I knew she was going to win it then because she took her opponent's best shot, and she was still standing,' Patterson said. 'I told her, 'We got it.'"
Smith nodded in response.
'It was over after that,' Patterson said.
Smith proceeded to win the following two sets 6-1, 6-2, becoming the first Black girls tennis individual state champion from Indianapolis. With the win, the junior also became Warren Central's first tennis state champion. Smith said it was 'amazing to hear' she became the first Black tennis player from Indianapolis to accomplish the feat and is 'just trying to be the best tennis player I can be, and it's an amazing honor to make history along the way.'
Smith's rise to becoming the best tennis player in the state wasn't easy. She spent her first freshman and sophomore years competing in track and tennis. After helping lead Warren Central to the 2024 girls team state track title alongside her sisters, Laila and Kyra, Smith committed full-time to tennis in her junior year with hopes of competing in college.
As a dual-sport athlete, Smith would miss four months of tennis training to focus on track. When Smith returned to the court last summer, she said she 'struggled to find her game,' which caused self-condemnation.
''Why would you do this? Why would you take a break? You were improving so much and took four months off,'' Smith would ask herself.
Eager to overcome the mental hurdle, Smith and her parents agreed for her to start meeting bi-weekly with sports psychologist Austin Halcomb in October 2024. Halcomb helped Smith forget previous match points and adjust on the court when things weren't going well.
The two worked on having a focal point to reset during matches and utilized deep breathing, high-level self talk and mental reset routines to help Smith stay present in game.
'It's really easy to get down in tennis because it's such a mental sport,' Patterson said. 'It's the only sport that you can miss, and not only is it a point against you but a point for your opponent, so now it's easy to beat yourself up because you're also elevating your opponent.'
Halcomb assessed early in their meetings that Smith's thinking geared toward, 'If it wasn't perfect, it wasn't good enough.' Over time, Smith saw adversity as a positive and key to growth. Smith understands she can't escape negative thoughts altogether but says she's able to recover and compliment herself during 'tough situations.'
'What we went through in those sessions helped out so much after dropping the first set 2-6. In my head, I was going crazy, and the nerves were a little rocky. I just had to remember my plan and what I was going to do,' Smith said. 'His plan that we had set out with a focal point and resetting helped get the second and third set.'
Halcomb praised Smith for finding real-world examples of their exercises and for 'always smiling and actively listening.' Her attitude and quick-to-listen approach weren't a facade.
Though intrusive thoughts flooded Smith's mind at times, her inclination to care for others and receive feedback from coaches didn't waver.
A day before the May 10 conference tournament, Patterson praised one of his players for nearly completing a set without surrendering a point, also known as a golden set. Unfamiliar with the term, Smith consumed the knowledge her coach provided.
As Patterson surveyed his player's matches the following day, he kept hearing, 'Crack, crack, crack,' on Smith's court.
'I was there like, 'Is she trying to go after that golden set?''
She was. And she did. And did it again the next day.
'Anything new she can learn about the game, she's going to absorb it and try to replicate it. She's a sponge,' Patterson said. 'Usually, she doesn't show up her opponents right away and blast winners. She'll hit around with them, and when she's ready for the point to end, she'll hit a winner or leave it up to the opponent to make a mistake. Those days, she just hit the winners.
'I tell anyone I talk to that she will be a pro in four years.'
Warren Central coach Daryl Whitley was hitting partners with Ashlee Davis and Tiffany Welcher, two of the four Black women to win the tennis state championship. In 2019, Whitley was inducted into the State High School Tennis Hall of Fame. In his 50 years of playing and coaching tennis, Whitley has never witnessed a player like Smith.
'They can put her in the Hall of Fame today,' said Whitley, who likened Smith to Coco Gauff because of her speed and forehand grip. 'She's been playing tennis for seven years and wasn't fully committed. She was probably unknown when tennis season started; mid-way through, her name spread quickly. With what she's accomplished in seven years, she's a tennis prodigy. I've never worked with someone who picks up things in tennis that fast.'
Though a force on the court, Smith's opponents enjoy playing against her. Westfield's Alexandra Grilliot played Smith in the state finals. The two are friends and have trained together at the Indianapolis Racquet Club the past year.
Grilliot believes Smith forcing her to 'move in and hit the better shot instead of keeping the ball in play' during the finals made her grow as a player. While Smith's game is more counter punch, she knew she had to 'up her angles and racquet speed' to defeat Grilliot.
'It's easier to play against someone like Samaya, who is a fair player and that you know won't do anything mean to you,' Grilliot said. 'That's why I like playing doubles with her; she's easy to get along with. She makes me a better person as well because of her kindness and how much of a good example she is to everyone.'
Throughout the tennis season, it was common for Smith to inquire about her teammates after he matches. Smith would also watch her teammates play and offer encouragement. Both coach Whitley and Patterson credited her humble spirit to her parents.
'She could have a big ego with her championships, but she has no ego at all,' Patterson said.
More: Warren Central's quest for IHSAA girls track state title is a family affair.
Smith's mother, Le'gretta, is a coach at Warren Central and has led the Warriors to three team state track championships. Smith's father, Stephen, won silver in the 1994 Pan American Games in high jump. Laila, Smith's older sister, won the 300 hurdles outdoor state championship in 2024. The youngest Smith, Kira, won the indoor state girls high jump championship in March.
Sweat droplets from the Smith family are seeped into every piece of clay that makes up Warren Central's track. So, when Smith relinquished her track duties, tradition was sacrificed to forge a new path.
'We know everyone is pursuing track in my family, so I think it's amazing that I get to extend the family name in tennis and in a completely different sport,' Smith said.
Smith has her parent's utmost support. Le'gretta, a tennis fan for 25 years, practices with Smith often. Smith acknowledged her parents for picking up balls, recording film and grabbing a tennis racquet to play with her when she wanted to train. Le'gretta admires Smith for 'taking the leap of faith into something different.'
When Smith started taking the sport seriously about four years ago, Stephen knew tennis was meant for his daughter because of her consistent desire to play. He believes her decision to choose tennis inspired Kira to pursue softball. Stephen views Laila as the 'nailgun' who goes after a challenge and labeled Kira the 'cerebral' daughter.
To Stephen, Smith is the 'gladiator' because of the fight she endured to become tennis champion.
'I'm so proud of her because it was hard. For her to step out of that lane and decide, 'I want to do tennis, but my family is track,'' Stephen said before pausing to process his emotions. 'I'm about to cry because for her to be able to hopefully go to college and play and get her education by doing something that she loves to do, that makes a girl dad proud.'
With immense gratitude expressed in a gentle tone, Stephen repeated himself.
'That makes a girl dad proud,' he said.