Diane Durante '26 Recruiting Profile

     I have been playing tennis since I was 4 and a half years old.  I started competing in USTA tournaments when I was 8 years old.  Along with tennis, I also played travel soccer, lacrosse and basketball.  My love for tennis grew so strong that by 6th grade I made the choice to solely focus on my tennis game.  My goal is to eventually play tennis in college.  I feel that I am a good candidate for a college tennis team as I am strong willed and have been able to face adversity and withstand many obstacles that have come my way.  One example is how I was able to find ways to continue to train on a daily basis when during March of 2020 all tennis courts were shut down.  I found a way to find outdoor tennis courts (climbing through locked fences or people's home tennis courts) and train while my mother was attending to my father after he came home from being hospitalized with Covid in mid March of 2020.  That time was extremely difficult for me as my father took 6 weeks to fully recover.  I recall wearing a hat and gloves because it was still cold and a few times played while it was snowing especially on one particular April day.  Another example was when I sustained a left wrist injury which hindered me from using my 2 handed back hand.  I continued playing with mostly my right hand and was able to win 7 out of my 8 matches during my L2 National zonals tournament in July 2022 and was able to earn All County and All State Honors during my recent high school tennis season.  With all the daily tennis and fitness training, I was still able to manage my academics and make honor roll since the 7th grade.  Long Island tennis magazine had published an article in Jan 2023 attesting to my character both on and off the court. 

     Most importantly, I enjoy being on a team as I really enjoy playing doubles just as much if not more than singles.  I get to pump up my partner when he or she is feeling down during a game and vice versa.