Skyler Choi '25 Recruiting Profile

I began my tennis training in May 2022 in a unique and unexpected way.

While I was a freshman player with the Manhattan Soccer Club, I attended IMG Academy’s soccer camp in Florida to improve my soccer skills during spring break. I was one of 3 girls with 14 boys at camp and it was the first time I experienced what intense sports training was like. Although it was hard work keeping up with the more advanced players all week, I was really inspired by their competitive spirit and dedication, and saw how gratifying sports could be. It was cool to see other kids trying to improve themselves every day.

Our morning fitness routine, eating healthy lunches at the cafeteria, and sleeping earlier each night was extra motivating because I noticed that it helped with my eczema, a condition I’ve had issues with since I was 4 years old. I used to try to cover up red, painful blisters and rashes with long sleeved shirts making it even more uncomfortable and my itchiness worse in humid weather. The more exercise and nutritious eating made some of my eczema symptoms better and that started to boost my confidence and self-esteem. After a week with IMG, I was seriously interested in how I could attend the school to try to become a full-time student athlete and asked my camp coach about it.

Since there wasn't a soccer program offered at my level, my camp coach suggested I apply to IMG’s tennis program instead and personally recommended me to share my work ethic, attitude and coachability with the tennis director.

As soon as I got home from camp, I went to the courts and a nearby school wall to practice hitting tennis balls every chance I got. I found I really enjoyed tennis and wanted to give IMG Academy a shot! I immediately completed the application process and prepared a ten-minute skills video, wrote three personal essays, received three teacher recommendation letters, and had an interview with the director and head tennis coaches at IMG.

A month after attending soccer camp in April, I was accepted into IMG Academy for tennis in May. I returned to Florida during the summer to train at IMG for 2 weeks, this time for tennis. However, after discussing it more with my parents, I realized I wanted to continue attending my high school and be at home with my family in NYC before college. Instead of attending IMG, I decided to start my tennis training at John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) in New York.

I currently train at JMTA 3 times a week and progressed the last 2 years from a beginner to a 2-UTR player. Last July, I attended Harvard University’s co-ed tennis camp where I learned new doubles and singles court strategies and footwork placement. I also attended a 2-day girls tennis camp at Yale University where I played several matches and even beat a 4-UTR ranked player. Following Yale, I attended 5 weeks of tennis camp at JMTA and was recognized Most Improved Player by my coaches at the end of summer.

This year, I started the first tennis club at my high school to share my passion for tennis and currently have 20 members. In December, I organized our club’s first bake sale at school where we earned several hundred dollars to help pay for group tennis lessons. I was able to coordinate tennis lessons for 10 members and me at John Jay College’s athletic facilities, which we really enjoyed together in March.

I completed my first semester of Junior year with a 3.7 GPA/ A average and will be taking exams in AP Seminar, AP Literature, and AP US Government in May. This summer I will be studying Sports Management abroad for 3 weeks in Barcelona, Spain with the CIEE Global student travel program. In August, I will be assisting JMTA’s community tennis partnership with Randall Island Park’s Alliance camp and volunteer time helping young children learn and play tennis.