Ian Patel, 17, worked his way up on the tennis court, starting from playing with his parents to being the top player on the Lenape tennis team.
Patel, a senior at Lenape High School, said he started playing tennis with his parents nine years ago and has been playing ever since.
“My serve has gotten a lot better,” Patel said, adding he enjoys the strategy behind the game.
His interest in the game’s strategy led Patel from playing on the junior varsity team his freshman year to becoming the №1 seed his senior year. Patel played doubles his sophomore year (22–9), earning second-team honors in the All-Olympic Conference and played third singles his junior year taking his 19–7 season record to win the Burlington County Open. Patel also ranked All-South Jersey Group-4 champion two years in a row.
Head coach Anthony Guerrera said Patel is a well-rounded tennis player. He is not strictly a defensive or offensive player.
“He is very versatile in the way he approaches tennis. I would say that he really approaches every match a little bit differently, which is to his advantage because his opponent can’t always figure him out,” Guerrera said.
When Patel started playing his freshman year, Guerrera knew he would be a great asset to the varsity team.
“His work ethic and determination have helped him go from a junior varsity player his freshman year to being the top player on the team his senior year,” he said.
According to Guerrera, for any player to rank at the top, he would have to beat all of his teammates for the spot.
“He has made that progression,” Guerrera said. “Tennis is one of those unique sports where you play ahead of the guys you beat and behind the guys you lose to. He has beaten everybody on the team.”
But the season just started for Patel and he will play against the most talented athletes in the area from Eastern, Moorestown and other Olympic Conference teams, Guerrera said. Patel said his biggest challenge would be playing against Eastern. The most difficult match for him last year was against Eastern’s Andy Glass.
“His strategy was pretty much don’t miss and eventually [your opponent] will,” Patel said, adding he had lost all three sets against him in that match.
He said he would never get a chance to play Glass again since he graduated last year.
Guerrera said Patel is poised to compete against the best players in the area. As for playing in college, Patel said he isn’t sure if he wants to play. Guerrera said Patel is an intelligent young man. He expects him to go to college and focus on his academics.
“I am not really planning on playing in college. It’s still debatable,” Patel said.
But Patel has an entire season ahead of him to think about his future in tennis. For now, Patel and Guerrera are looking forward to an exciting season.
“I’m very pleased from what I have seen and I am excited for the team this year, especially having [Patel] as one of my senior co-captain leaders,” Guerrera said.
