FPD twins take next step toward collegiate tennis careers

Miller and Michael Durham were never pushed into the sport of tennis despite the fact that their father, Chris, played tennis at Florida State.

But after picking up the racquets at the age of 10, both of them pretty much realized that it was time to focus on just one sport.

That dedication to the sport paid off Thursday when the FPD seniors signed with NCAA Division I programs, with Miller signing with Kennesaw State and Michael signing with Auburn.

The fraternal twins were quite aware that very soon they will be living in different places for the first time.

"It will be very different and I know I will miss him, but I am sure that we will still talk all the time," Miller Durham said. "I mean, I basically have always had someone to hit with whenever I wanted to, and I don't think the fact that we will be apart has really hit me yet, but I am also excited about the opportunity that both of us have."

Michael Durham echoed his brother's sentiments, but he added a bit more to the closeness of the brothers.

"I really don't think I would be here signing a scholarship if it wasn't for him, and I will miss him a lot." Michael Durham said. "It's been great a great experience, and I know that we are both ready for the challenge of playing college tennis."

The brothers had a difficult decision to make two years ago, when they decided to put more time into tennis by being home-schooled.

"It was a family decision for us to leave FPD for two years and get more practice time, but this is why we did it," Michael Durham said. "We all felt like this was the best way to make sure that we would be where we needed to be heading into college. The training was very hard and we missed being at FPD, but we are both very happy that we did it. We owe so much to Craig Jones at Idle Hour for working us so hard."

The twins returned to FPD's tennis team for their senior seasons, and both are 19-0 playing singles for the Vikings. After FPD finished second to Brookstone at the GHSA Area 1-A Private School Tournament on Wednesday, the Vikings will open Class A Private School Tournament action with a home match later this month.

FPD tennis head coach Derek Lashley had high praise for the twins.

"They aren't identical, but they act that way," Lashley said. "If they need to challenge a teammate or lead a practice or to even picking out uniforms, I know what I will get from them. They are miles apart as far as personality goes, but they share the fact that they both have a great work ethic and are both leaders on and off the court. Kids who commit to D-I sports usually burn out due to the load, but these boys thrive on the load."

When the question of who is the better tennis player came up, Miller Durham admitted that his brother might be just a tad better.

"We don't actually play against each other very much and we go back and forth most of the time, but he is probably a little better than me," Miller Durham said. "But I will say that the last time we played about a month ago I beat him in the last set."

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 5:36 PM with the headline "FPD twins take next step toward collegiate tennis careers ."