California women's tennis alumna Raquel Atawo joined her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach after stepping away from the professional tour in September of 2019. Atawo had recently competed at the 2019 US Open in Flushing, New York, reaching the quarterfinals of mixed doubles with Fabrice Martin and the second round in doubles with Asia Muhammad.
Earlier in 2019, Atawo reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the doubles second round of the French Open and Wimbledon.
She left behind a prolific career in which she played in 50 Grand Slams, won 18 WTA doubles titles – including the 2018 WTA trophy with Anna-Lena Grönfeld – and, partnered with Abigail Spears, reached the doubles semifinals of the 2014 Australian Open and of Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016. She achieved a career-best WTA doubles ranking of No. 10 in 2015 and was ranked 36th in the most recent poll. Atawo and Spears also won Premier 5 doubles titles at the 2012 Pac Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Cincinnati Masters in 2014.
Atawo had a busy year in 2015, when she and Spears reached the BNP Paribas WTA Finals in Singapore for the second consecutive season, was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and – last but definitely not least – married Cal track & field alumnus Toby Atawo.
Additionally, the erstwhile Golden Bear played for the Philadelphia Freedoms in World Team Tennis, helping lead her club to the 2019 league semifinals in August. A seven-year veteran of the league, Atawo won the 2012 WTT title with the Washington Kastles.
As Raquel Kops-Jones, she was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Senior Player of the Year and Pac-10 Player of the Year as a senior in 2004, when she was ranked No. 1 much of the season and was the first Golden Bear to win the Pac-10 singles championship. Kops-Jones and Christina Fusano captured the NCAA doubles title in 2003. The tandem was named the ITA Doubles Team of the Year in 2003, and the Bears also claimed the 2002 and 2003 Pac-10 doubles crowns. Kops-Jones was a five-time All-American and was named the 2001 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
