There are several paths to becoming a professional athlete. As the saying goes, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Athletes don’t need to be from a big city like Chicago or Milwaukee to find success, they can come from a rural town in southern Wisconsin, just like Reese Brantmeier. Brantmeier grew up in Whitewater, and graduated from Whitewater High School in 2022.

“Growing up in Whitewater has connected me with such incredible people,” Brantmeier said. “So many people pitched in to help me follow my passion, including the UW-Whitewater tennis programs, who let me join in practices from a young age. That small town connection has made me so grateful for all of the help I got along the way throughout my tennis journey and inspired me to pay forward these opportunities as often as I can. I am so proud to call Whitewater home.”

Reese Brantmeier quickly rose through the tennis ranks and graduated as the top high school prospect of her class, according to the Tennis Recruiting Network. Brantmeier would earn the label of “blue chip prospect,” which is reserved for the best prospects and those viewed as likely to eventually compete professionally. With such a label, Brantmeier drew interest from many colleges, but would commit to the University of North Carolina, a Division I school that competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“My days are very busy,” Brantmeier said. “I start with a few hours of class each morning. Before practice I do about an hour of physical therapy and rehab exercises to prevent injury and stay healthy on the court. We have at least two hours of team practice every afternoon, sometimes with an additional hour of individual practice depending on the day. We also have an hour of some sort of strength or conditioning session, either in the gym or on the court. I also try to make time to study in the evenings and then relax before I do it all over again.”

While name, image, and likeness has grown more popular at the collegiate level, this hasn’t affected Brantmeier and tennis as much as other collegiate sports, like football or basketball.

“NIL has not affected my experience too strongly,” Brantmeier said. “It certainly has changed the landscape of collegiate athletics as a whole, but tennis is not at the epicenter of these changes. However, I think it is excellent that athletes are able to be rewarded for all of their hard work and capitalize on these new opportunities if they choose to pursue them. In an increasingly professionalized environment, those earnings are well deserved. I have made connections with a few organizations on a smaller scale and have enjoyed all of these experiences, but my main focus will always first be on tennis and academics.” 

Brantmeier has seen significant success at the DI level, as she was named the 2025 ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year after a season where she went 18-2 in singles and 24-5 in doubles. She was also named to first-team All-ACC in both singles and doubles, with the former being for the third consecutive season.

“Receiving our conference ‘Player of the Year’ award was an incredible honor,” Brantmeier said. “Obviously the award is only given to one player each season, so this is an accolade each of us strives for. It was particularly meaningful for me this year after my struggle with injury. I was out for the entirety of the 2024 season and unsure if I would be healthy enough in time to compete in the spring of 2025. After a year out of the sport, I was so grateful to just get back to competing. To return to playing some of my best tennis and earn this award for the first time was more than I could’ve asked for.”

This wasn’t the only achievement that Brantmeier had this previous season. She also had the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Open, which is the final of the four major tennis events, otherwise known as Grand Slams.

“The U.S. Open is always the most surreal tournament to play in,” Brantmeier said. “Playing at the highest level of professional tennis at the tournament I grew up watching my idols compete in as a kid is something truly special. I love the energy that the big crowds bring to matches in New York City, especially the extra support they give to American players. This year was additionally meaningful to play alongside my teammate, with rows of Carolina Blue supporting us in the stands. It was truly a dream come true.”

Tennis is not just a physical sport, it is a mental one. Most athletes follow a pregame routine, and Brantmeier is no different. 

“Following a repeatable pre-match routine helps me feel prepared before a match,” Brantmeier said. “A good physical warm-up on and off the court puts me into a competitive mindset, connecting my brain and body to signal that I’m1 ready to go. I think the most important preparation for me is staying relaxed, so I also like to listen to my favorite music before I play.”

Tennis isn’t the most common or popular sport in the Whitewater area, so Brantmeier had to travel 40 minutes to and from practice. This travel was a source of inspiration for the Reese Brantmeier Project, which restores local tennis courts.

“I’d wanted to restore those tennis courts since I began playing the sport while I was a student at Washington Elementary,” Brantmeier said. “I wished that my peers and I could play right outside of my school. I didn’t know how, but at age 8, I vowed that someday I would undertake this project.”

Brantmeier officially started this project her freshman year at the University of North Carolina, and has raised over $160,000 so far, with her goal being to raise at least $200,000.

The Reese Brantmeier Project isn’t the only way that Brantmeier is giving back, she also has advice for young tennis players to try and help them on their journey.

“Dream big,” Brantmeier said. “I had no idea how far I would go with tennis and didn’t have an exact plan of how I would get there. You don’t need to have it all figured out, but if you put in the work and trust in the process, anything is possible. I always tried to focus on getting a little better each day, taking care of all of the little things within my control, and remembering to have fun with it. If you enjoy what you do, the sky is the limit.”

Reese Brantmeier is now entering her senior season at UNC, and she is focused on her last collegiate season and helping her team succeed. After she completes her collegiate degrees in Exercise and Sports Science and Studio Art, Brantmeier plans on playing tennis professionally. 

“I’m really excited to begin my time on tour and see how far tennis can take me,” Brantmeier said.

As Reese Brantmeier put it, the sky is the limit.