The sports world can be pretty male-dominated, so carving out a successful career in the field can take even more work and passion for a woman. Just ask J. Ivy Smith, owner of Tennis String Theory and one of the few female racket stringers on the East Coast.
In September, Smith reopened Tennis String Theory in a new, larger location in Falls Church. The new location features two unique amenities: a clinic and a hitting area. The clinic provides tennis tips and training to customers and those who are interested in the sport, and the hitting area is where customers can test out rackets to see if they’re suited to their body, and practice their hitting form. Presently, Tennis String Theory is the only store on the East Coast with a hitting area and is one of very few stores with a clinic.
It was back in 1970 that Smith’s father, a skilled professional tennis player, first opened Tennis String Theory (then called Tennis & Fitness Sports) to help tennis players find the right equipment and repair their rackets. He found success by making personal connections with his customers and in turn, those customers helped grow his business by spreading the word.
As her father’s health declined, Smith agreed to take over the almost 50-year-old business in 2018. She knew that the shop was too important to her family to let it go. When asked what she loves about tennis, she mentions how she enjoys exercising — specifically cardio — and says she’s competitive by nature. Since she grew up spending a lot of time in the shop with her father, Smith understands how rackets work and how to properly restring them. “I help them suit up and help people find their right racket,” she says.
Smith says she does still run into some challenges in the industry. “I feel like it’s hard for [some competitors] to acknowledge that I know what I’m doing,” she says. “It’s a difficult path.”
But she’s happy to have taken on the business her father began. “The store feels like home to me,” Smith says. 7115 Leesburg Pike, Ste. 102, Falls Church
Feature image courtesy Tennis String Theory
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