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Ellie Coleman and Emma Jackson: An Unbreakable Bond
Ellie Coleman and Emma Jackson: An Unbreakable Bond
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by Morgan Pruchniewski, Duke Athletics Communications Student Assistant
DURHAM -- While Ellie Coleman and Emma Jackson are now teammates for the Blue Devils, their bond goes far beyond that.
Coleman and Jackson have known each other since they were just 11 years old. As the top juniors from their home states of Michigan and Illinois, respectively, they frequently ran into each other at tournaments in the Midwest, teaming up for some and competing against each other for others.
"The thing I'm most proud of them is their maturity," said Ellie's mom, Jen Coleman. "It is very hard to have good, solid friends in junior tennis. Your friend can be your opponent at any time. In the first round of the Midwest Championships…that happened to them! They could be competitors in the moment and friends all other times."
Along their Midwest juniors' careers, Coleman and Jackson became doubles partners.
"We did well in doubles together," said Jackson. "We won the Midwest's Champions for 14-Under and the National Level II in Florida for 14-Under."
After finding success together, the two separated for a time through playing different tournaments, but ended up finding their way back together through Duke. Jackson and Coleman are the only women's tennis players in their class and were able to get even closer through training at Evert Tennis Academy in Boca Raton, Fla., for the year before coming to Duke.
"Even though we've never lived in the same state, our lives were very similar," said Jackson. "Training together before we got here at Evert and all of our shared experiences helped us to get as close as we are now."