After an NCAA Final Four run, three All-SEC honors and ITA-All American honors, rising senior Rachel Gailis’ journey as a Florida Gator has ended.
On May 31, Gailis announced via Instagram she would forgo her final year of eligibility at the University of Florida to pursue a career in professional tennis.
The 20-year-old Delray Beach native has been a leader and shining star for the program during her three seasons. While she moves on to the next chapter of her career to fulfill her dreams, her love for the university will stay as strong as ever, she said.
“Being a Florida Gator is always something that I’m very proud to walk around and be able to say,” Rachel said.
Joining the family
Rachel was introduced to tennis at age 4 when she watched her older brother David’s practices. A year later, she picked up a racket and fell in love instantly.
Tennis didn’t start as something serious to her. It was just an activity to keep her moving, said Alex, Rachel’s father. But once she turned 11, she started playing at a high level, making a future in tennis possible, he said.
She was so dominant that she beat David most of the times the two siblings faced each other.
Even though David lost many of his matches against Rachel, he still shows his support for his little sister.
“If anybody’s going to say they’re Rachel’s biggest fan, it's going to be me,” David said.
Rachel finished as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2022, making the decision to choose a career path difficult. Many schools looked to recruit her, but the high ranking also made her question whether she should immediately go pro. Rachel didn’t consider college tennis until she began receiving scholarships from different schools, her father said.
Despite having several options, Rachel visited one school in Florida: UF. The family’s visit was so successful the answer became obvious.
Rachel’s mother, Natalie, said the decision became easier once her daughter connected with Florida’s coaching staff.
The family ideology within the program brought her to Gainesville. For Rachel, it wasn’t about who the girls were on the team, but rather how they treated each other well.
“Everyone will say this about Florida,” Rachel said, “It's a family.”
Freshman beginnings
Rachel called her first season a learning experience. She expected to be more successful in the fall season but struggled mentally while adjusting to college life.
Her father added that a big part of the transition revolved around being more team-oriented than focusing on oneself. Most levels of tennis require the players to think about their own performance rather than as a collective unit.
Rachel's older teammates, like Carly Briggs, helped make the transition easier and provided the support she needed. Briggs, who became her roommate and close friend, thought Rachel’s first season was far from the rough patch she describes.
“If that's considered a mess, then I don’t really know what I was my freshman year,” Briggs said.
Rachel was always tough on herself growing up, David said, but that's how they were raised. Having a tough mindset helped Rachel maintain the desire to get better, he added.
In the spring, Rachel started SEC play with two of her biggest victories of the season in UF’s dual match versus No. 2 Texas A&M. In doubles, Gailis and Briggs beat No. 34 Jayci Goldsmith and Salma Ewing. In singles, she defeated No. 121 Mia Kupres in straight sets on court four.
Briggs said their victory took them to another level as a doubles pair, giving them the confidence to beat any of the opponents they played in the following matches.
Gailis caught fire in her freshman spring season after she fell to clinch Kentucky’s upset win over the Gators in Gainesville in March 2023. Following the tough defeat, Gailis won her next 10 matches, finishing her freshman season 22-7 in singles, 18-11 in doubles and as a member of the 2023 All-SEC Freshman Team.
“I think I needed to lose that one to feel that pain,” Rachel said.
Becoming a star
After an intensive offseason with her coach, Rachel entered her sophomore season with more confidence. However, an injury in the fall limited her time on the court. Once the spring season started and conference play was in full swing, former UF head coach Roland Thornqvist put Rachel at the No. 1 spot for singles.
Natalie was confident when Rachel was moved to court one, and she knew the big opportunity at a young age was great for her daughter.
“She was born to be in that position,” Natalie said.
Rachel was confident on court one, she said. She knew her opponents knew little about her game and teammates on the other courts could get the job done to put less pressure on her to close out matches. While the older players on the team led vocally, Rachel’s court position allowed her to lead by example with what she was doing on and off the court.
“She was always the first person in the locker room,” Briggs said. “She was always the first person on the court, she was always getting ready 30 minutes before practice, getting to the matches an hour early.”
Rachel finished her second season as an ITA-All American, All-SEC First Team member and made the ITA top-10 for singles. She also completed her sophomore season 22-8 in singles and 19-9 in doubles.
Still, she saw areas to improve.
“I kind of just wanted more,” Rachel said. “It motivated me for the next year to do a little bit better.”
Her daughter’s comments didn’t surprise Natalie; Rachel always focused on improving. The mindset helped her get better at UF and will also serve her well in her professional career, Natalie said.
Rachel’s work on the court continued to speak for itself in the fall of her junior year.
After tearing her hip in August, Gailis came back and signed up with then-senior Alicia Dudeney to participate in the ITA Regional Championship for doubles. The two won the tournament and punched their ticket to the NCAA Doubles Championships, where they came in as underdogs with no expectations.
“We were talking about it before,” Rachel said. “Either we’re a first-round exit, or we were randomly going to make the semis. There is no in between.”
The pair reached the semifinals in a run that included defeating the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals. Rachel said she was surprised she made it so far because she isn’t a doubles specialist. She credits Dudeney and former assistant coach Samantha Mannix with their experience in doubles, which helped her find success.
The team struggled in the spring, having one of its worst seasons in recent program history. However, Rachel had her fair share of highs during her last season.
Florida faced Auburn on the road in its first conference match. Despite the team losing 5-2, Rachel took down then-senior and No. 2 singles player DJ Bennett in three sets. The victory marked Gailis’ highest-ranked win in singles as a Gator.
Rachel said winning the match was good for her because she had a lot to prove, starting the season unranked. Rachel spent a lot of time working with head coach Per Nilsson before the match and said the win showed that their hard work paid off.
“Beating her was kind of an ‘I’m back,’” Rachel said.
For the rest of the season, Rachel battled an injury that forced her to serve underhand for most of her matches. Rachel still finished the season 10-7 in singles and 14-9 in doubles, was a member of the All-SEC Second Team and received ITA-All American honors.
Completing her last season while fighting an injury captured the fighter characteristics that Alex used to describe his daughter.
David, who is on track to study physical therapy, said he was worried for Rachel to play through the injury. Still, he said her perseverance is what makes him a proud older brother.
“It clearly shows how much she loves playing and how much she wants to win,” David said.
Reflecting and saying goodbye
Rachel said her time as a Gator was a learning curve. From an inexperienced freshman to leading the team in tournaments, Rachel grew on and off the court.
“People that know me from before my freshman year can’t even believe who they talk to now,” Rachel said.
Rachel also prioritized bringing a fun attitude to the team during practices and teaching younger teammates from the good and bad she experienced during her three seasons.
Rachel said she enjoyed meeting the different people on campus. Whether it was coaches or athletes on other teams, she tried to stay in touch with them as much as possible.
“I just hope that people, when they look back at my time at Florida, they think that I impacted their life a little bit, just positively,” she said.
When it came time for Rachel to leave the program, it wasn’t easy for her.
She faced the same situation after her sophomore year but ultimately decided to represent the Gators for one more season because of her connection to the university.
This time, Rachel knew she wanted to fully commit to pursuing her dream of playing pro. Ever since the middle of the spring season, she felt that the right decision was to leave after the season.
Rachel said she’ll also miss the supportive fans. The fans who showed up to all the games made her love UF, and she’s thankful they took a chance and believed in her despite her early struggles.
She hopes anyone lucky enough to play at Florida can experience and take in the support, especially in important moments in a match, such as when a game is a deuce.
Rachel and her relatives know how meaningful her time as a Gator was. David called her “a Gator for life in every aspect,” and Alex said Rachel had “the best three years of her life” at Florida.
“My time in Florida was amazing,” Rachel said. “I would never take it back if I could.”
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Summer 2025 women's tennis beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
