Stevenson's mother is Samantha Stevenson, a noted sports journalist. Her father is basketball legend Julius Erving. Stevenson met her father for the first time in October 2008 after she initiated a meeting. The meeting was documented by ESPN.com's "Reaching Out". Stevenson keeps up with her father between tournaments. Stevenson is taking acting and singing classes in Hollywood during her off weeks from her full time return to the WTA Tour. Stevenson graduated from the University of Colorado on December 15, 2007, with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts, Sociology. She graduated on the Dean's List and is the only Final 8 member to have graduated from college while playing professional tennis. Stevenson was inducted into the La Jolla Country Day School Hall of Fame on December 4, 2009 - joining fellow Torrey, Rashaan Salaam, the 1994 Heisman Trophy winner
Stevenson joined Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Mary Pierce and Jennifer Capriati as a power player on the WTA Tour in 1999. 6' 1" and right-handed, she plays with a one-handed backhand. Her serve, forehand, and one-handed backhand are noted weapons in Stevenson's all-court game. Her fastest serve was clocked at 125 mph. She had the fastest second serve in the women's game from 1999-2004 at 105-115 mph. She was the first woman to amass 57 aces during the Wimbledon fortnight in 1999. The power game came from years of repetitive lessons. At nine years old, Stevenson began traveling from her home in San Diego to Los Angeles to be coached by Robert Lansdorp and Pete Fischer. It was Lansdorp who developed her powerful ground game, changing her two-handed backhand to a one-handed backhand. Lansdorp would tie her arm with an ace bandage to work on the backhand motion. Fischer, who also coached Pete Sampras, developed Stevenson's service motion, often used by coaches to teach "the perfect service motion." Fischer designed service drills to resemble Sampras' fluid serve.
Pics of Alex in Charlottesville last week:
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