Pura Is Pride of Brentwood School Tennis

Many of the best players his age skip high school tennis completely just to focus on USTA events, but not TJ Pura.

In fact, the Brentwood School sophomore has relished his role on the team so much that he considers representing the navy, scarlet and white a privilege. That is one reason why Pura is so well-liked by teammates and so appreciated by Eagles Coach Lee Herzog.  

"TJ is not only a great tennis player with a bright future, but he's a great student and a great representative for our school," said Herzog, who has seen plenty of talented players matriculate through the program. "What makes him special is that his game is so mature--he can do it all. Yet, he doesn't have an inflated ego. He's just one of the guys and he always puts the needs of the team first."

Pura is one of the top five players in the nation in the boys 16s division, but he prefers playing "up" in the 18s against stronger, more experienced opponents. That strategy has allowed him to improve at an accelerated rate. He plays his share of ranked juniors in high school as well. He faced several, in fact, in the CIF Southern Section Individual Championships, where he fell to fellow sophomore Gage Brymer of Irvine University, 6-2, 6-3, in the singles final Saturday at Seal Beach Tennis Center.  

"It's fun being part of a team and you still get to play some great players," said Pura, who lived in Bedford, New York until he was 12 but now lives just up the road from Brentwood's campus in Pacific Palisades. "High school's a nice break from the intensity of junior tournaments. I love the camaraderie. I've enjoyed every minute of it."

As a freshman last year, Pura helped the Eagles win the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title, then he partnered with senior teammate Chris Lord to win the Individual doubles crown. The Brentwood duo bested Corona del Mar's Ryan Peyton and Shane Korber, 6-4, 6-4, in the final.  

"Last year was amazing because I experienced what it feels like winning both [team and individual championships]," Pura said. "I learned a lot. It was added motivation to want to come back and do it again this year."

This spring, Pura reached the quarterfinals in the CIF singles division at the Ojai Tournament in April, then led Brentwood to the Alpha League title and the No. 7 seed in the Division 1 playoffs. He swept his three sets in the Eagles' 10-8 loss to Palos Verdes in the quarterfinals, but afterwards he couldn't hide his disappointment.

"It's such an honor to play with these guys," Pura said. "I'm sad that the season is  over."

Pura is focused on getting better, not just his junior ranking. So much so that private coach Hugo Armando flies to Los Angeles from Florida once or twice a month to work with him.

"I've been working on my serve, to win easier points," Pura said. "I like coming in [to net], so if I get a short ball, I'll attack it. If I had to pick a strength right now I'd say it's my mental toughness. I like figuring out how to beat guys."

The pro Pura most admires is the one he's grown up watching--Switzerland's 16-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer because "he's an all-court player with all the shots. That's what I want to be."

Pura lived in Hollywood for two years before moving west and when it came time to decide where to go to high school, he was considering both Brentwood and Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood.

"I applied to both, but Harvard-Westlake put me on the wait list and that was that," Pura said. "I'm glad I ended up here. It's great academically. My favorite classes are Algebra 2 and Latin 3. Also, Coach [Herzog] is so understanding if there are schedule conflicts [with junior events]."

In January, Pura captured his first national title since 2007 at the USTA Boys’ 16s Winter National Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona, upsetting No. 1-seeded Sean Karl of Tennessee in the final in what Pura called his "biggest win so far." He was also one of four junior players featured in a 2008 documentary called "50,000 Balls, produced by his father Tom.

"That was fun to do," Pura said of the film. "My goal right now is to keep adding elements to my game, to keep improving and to stay in the top five in the rankings."