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Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2008

Central High student puts hours into honing his tennis talent

Whether on or off the tennis court, Jadon Phillips has a reputation for his dedication and gentility. Because of his humility, someone meeting Phillips, a Central High School junior, might never know he is ranked by the United States Tennis Association as the No. 2 tennis player in Georgia in his division.

But Phillips does not only compete at the regional and state level.

Now ranked ninth nationally by the USTA in his age group, he considers his biggest achievement on the tennis court winning a national tennis tournament in Florida in February.

"I played a boy in my final who had beaten me four times in a row, and I finally beat him and won the national," Phillips said.

Even after playing in so many tennis matches, Phillips admits he gets "nervous the very first game of my very first match."

"Usually, you are seeded, and you get nervous because this nonseed can come and just wipe you off the court," he said.

Speed, consistency and his backhand are his physical strengths, but what Phillips feels separates him from other players is his mental toughness.

"I would never show anger on the court," he said. "People who are beating me don't feel like they are winning because I don't give them anything to feed off of."

Coach Morris Brown, Phillips' coach in Macon, considers Phillips a hard worker.

"The nice thing about working with him is he will give you anything you ask of him," Brown said.

"He definitely has got a lot of potential. If he wants to play professionally in five or six years or maybe after college, the ball is his court to do that. It's just a matter of him deciding that he wants to do that."

Phillips is coached in Macon, but he also drives to Atlanta for coaching once a week to train for tournaments.

He practices in Macon every day after school for two hours then goes home to either relax or do an hour of physical training.

About every other night, he and his parents head to the tennis courts to play for a few hours.

While Phillips does not play on the school team for Central this year because he does not have enough time, he hopes to play next year as a senior.

Phillips' dedication pays off in the classroom as well - he makes As and Bs. "He is such a gentleman," said Libby Pruitt, Phillips' English teacher at Central. "He is the most modest individual I have ever met."

Phillips started playing tennis when he was 7 years old in Macon.

"My mom got me out on the tennis court," Phillips said. "I can picture a little bit in my head me swinging at the ball and her just laughing."

Originally, Phillips' mother, Velma, was his exclusive coach.

"Now I just sit on the sidelines, pick up the balls and let others do the coaching," Velma Phillips said, laughing.

Phillips already has won four tournaments, and his goal is to have won two more by the time he graduates.

After that, Phillips said he hopes to get a college scholarship to play tennis and start studying to become a doctor.

Phillips' immediate goal is to do well in the Orange Bowl, an international tournament held in Florida.

Then, in September, he would like to play in the U.S. Open Junior Tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in junior tennis.

While he plans to enjoy the sport for the rest of his life, Phillips is unsure whether he wants to become a professional tennis player.

"Honestly, I don't think I have the full dedication to work that hard. I won't want to be at Wimbledon for two weeks, have to focus on tennis, and not be able to go to the sites. But, I could not see myself not playing tennis."

Catherine Berry is a senior at First Presbyterian Day School.