Darren Zhou '19 Recruiting Profile

Tennis has been a part of my life since I was four years old. Throughout my athletic career, I have tried football, swimming, martial arts, and basketball, but none of them have had the profound impact on my life that tennis had. Winning the first USTA tournament I ever played in was certainly a great experience, but the losses I took after that helped me grow more as a tennis player and a person. Suffering defeats in tournaments initially discouraged me, but the experiences helped me focus my efforts on developing traits which would improve me athletically and as a member of society. By eighth grade, I was throughly convinced through my defeats that in order to become a better player, I would need to work harder and practice more. I changed my practice regimen to three to six times per week and realized the value of working hard.  Through tennis, I learned the value of commitment, focus, and sacrifice, and helped me push through setbacks.

With trial and error, I learned to set tough but realistic goals for myself. In school, I try to make the Honor roll every term while still challenging myself academically.  In tennis, I focus on improving myself with every shot and every match, regardless of the outcome. I'm looking for a program where I can contribute to the tennis team and also has a good level of academics. Playing collegiate tennis is both a privilege and a honor,  and I believe that I have the character and work-ethic to make an impact at the college level.