Jill Craybas is focusing on making her mark for the U.S. women’s tennis team at the Summer Games in Beijing.

AP / Chris Carlson

Her story should serve as inspiration for every athlete who is a little too small, a little too slow, or is growing up in the littlest state in the nation.

Jill Craybas, the 5-foot-3-inch Energizer Bunny of women’s professional tennis, the grinder who never quits, is an Olympian.

Jill Craybas, who grew up in East Greenwich, not Fort Lauderdale; attended all-girls Lincoln School, not Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy; went to college, not the pro tour, and who is a college graduate, not a dropout, is in Beijing wearing the colors of the U.S. Olympic Team.

Jill Craybas, who overcame stress fractures that would have stymied a weaker person, marginal support from the U.S. Tennis Association as a junior and a shaky start to what has turned out to be an impressive pro career, is part of the quadrennial spectacle we call the Olympics.

Amazing! Astounding! Or, as her mother put it, unbelievable.

If there were any doubt that Craybas is the most successful tennis player to hail from Rhode Island, her selection for the U.S. Olympic Team on Wednesday should have settled the issue.

Just look at what she has done:

A top-100 ranking since 2001, No. 75 now.

An appearance at every Grand Slam tournament since 2001.

An unforgettable upset of fourth-ranked Serena Williams at Wimbledon in 2005.

A member of the U.S. Federation Cup team from 2004 to 2006.

A victory over second-ranked Kim Clijsters at Miami in 2006.

One singles and three doubles titles in her career on the women’s tour.

A career record of 316-296. A career-high ranking of No. 39.

Election to the WTA Tour Players’ Council in 2004.

Career prize money of $1.6 million.

The NCAA team championship with the University of Texas in 1993.

The NCAA singles and team championships with the University of Florida in 1996.

The only woman to win national championships with two schools.

And now, at the age of 34, a visit to Olympus, Beijing style, and a first-round match against 13th-seeded and 16th-ranked ranked Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.

“She has kind of surprised us all. I give her a lot of credit. With limited resources, her size, without spending a lot of money . . . it’s unbelievable,” Camille Craybas said of her daughter.

“I’m just thrilled for her. She has done incredibly well,” Mary Rompf, head tennis professional at the Newport Casino Club and a former junior champion, said.

Rompf is about the same height, so she understands what it takes for a player a few inches over 5 feet tall to cover the court and hit ball after ball just to stay in a point.

“She never gets any free points. She’s a fighter . . . a grinder,” Rompf said.

Craybas worked her way through the maze of junior tennis with the support of her parents, Norbert, a surgeon, and Camille, a teacher and librarian, her sister, Jody, and her brother, Matt. In many respects, theirs was a normal family. Sports were important but not the focal point of their lives. They played multiple sports as kids, and Matt played soccer at Keene State, and Jody tennis at James Madison.

“Things weren’t so crazy then. We didn’t run around and do things that people do now. The girls played softball and did other sports,” Camille said.

And Matt and Jody celebrated their sister’s success.

“When Jill would come home from a tournament, there would be a cake on the table, made by Jody,” Camille said.

Jill received some assistance from the U.S. Tennis Association, but she was nowhere near the top of the priority list. Trish Arnold of Mattapoisett, Mass., formerly of Providence, was president of USTA New England at the time and advocated for Craybas but with little success.

“So she’s gotten to where she is all through hard work. She wasn’t a USTA kid. She wasn’t one of the favorites, probably because of her size,” Rompf said.

But her size might have motivated her to prove everybody wrong. She spent her first year at Texas teaching her teammates that Rhode Island is a state and not part of New York and overcame injury to help the Longhorns to the national championship.

She transferred to Florida after another injury-plagued year at Texas and became a college star. She was the Florida female athlete of the year in 1995 and an All-America and NCAA champion in 1996.

Her pro career got off to a rough start in 1996. Despite her NCAA title, she was playing qualifiers instead of receiving wild cards into main draws. She did receive a wild card to the U.S. Open, an honor accorded every NCAA champion. Stress fractures sidelined her for most of 1997. Camille Craybas thought her daughter, Florida degree in hand, might settle down and work in real estate. But Jill wasn’t ready to quit tennis and worked her way back. Like every athlete, she has had her ups and downs.

Craybas, who has lived in Huntington Beach, Calif., the last six years, called her parents at 11:30 Wednesday night to tell them she was in San Jose preparing to go to Beijing. She got in as an alternate when Tamira Paszek of Austria withdrew because of injury. Her mother said she lucked out.

“She said, ‘I’m going to be there with Venus and Serena and Lindsay and the best tennis players in the world.’ I felt chills. My goodness,” Camille said.

mszostak@projo.com