Herndon Tennis Star Philip Nelson Conquers Court

The vast majority of high school athletes follow the orthodox track of organized sports during their formidable years when at age 6, these ankle-biter’s parents sign them up for house league football, soccer, or basketball. Then by age 12, these tweeners advance to travel league. And by freshman year, they choose the sport(s) to compete in for the remainder of their teenage years.

But every so often, a uniquely gifted child is born with the ability to one day crush a golf ball 350 yards, or smash a baseball 500 feet, or in this case—serve a tennis ball at speeds of up to 130 mph.

Herndon High senior Philip Nelson is one of those unique athletes who first discovered his love for tennis as a toddler while watching Wimbledon on television with his mother, Mildred Cooper.

“Philip was just two-and-a-half and he wanted me to turn off the TV and go outside and play,” Cooper said. “So, I took him over to Lake Newport and gave him my racquetball racquet to use and he got frustrated when he couldn’t hit it over the net. So, we played together on one side of the court and [had fun.]”

Nelson would eventually trade in his mother’s racquetball racquet for a proper one and at age five he was taking lessons with 12-year-olds. Today he hovers just above the USTA’s top 100 players in the nation, for 18 and under. The stellar senior is also Herndon’s No.1 tennis star and led them to a 9-3 season in 2011. He went undefeated for the second straight season in singles and was recently awarded both the Concorde District Singles Player of the Year and Doubles Player of the year, along with his tennis partner Josh Albertson.

The tennis phenom's trophy case will need an expansion, as he also crushed the competition in the playoffs to win the Virginia Northern Regional Singles title for the first time and the Concorde singles championship for the second year in a row. The Hornet dynamo also won the Concorde doubles title with Albertson, two weeks ago. Nelson enjoys playing both styles of tennis and says it is difficult to pick a favorite.

“I like both a lot and am great at doubles, but singles is just as important. They’re both so different,” Nelson said. “In doubles you rely on your partner and you try to get to the net as much as you can. Singles is the opposite and you have to wait when you get the opportunity to come in [to the net].”

Herndon tennis coach, David Bristow says Nelson has always been a positive role model for the team, but he became an even more valuable asset to his teammates this season.

“I think Philip has really stepped up this year in [leadership] and has really matured. It’s not that he hasn’t served his teammates before, but I think he’s got a new enthusiasm,” Coach Bristow said. “He’s been cheering on the guys and wanting them to win. In my opinion he’s head and heels above anybody else in our district.”

The reinvigorated leader looks like he should be wearing a football uniform instead of tennis gear, as he stands 6-foot-two, tipping the scale at a solid 190lbs—much larger than average for the sport. Nelson gives credit to his workout regimen for his power on the court.

“My junior year, I decided to take weight training and I came in at about 160lbs. In the first two months I put on 25 pounds and it’s nice to know I have as much power as I need and never doubt hitting my serve,” he said. “My serve is pretty big and probably my strongest point when it’s on. My fastest serve is about 130 mph.”

Nelson originally went to Flint Hill to play tennis his freshman year of high school where he helped the team win the MAC Conference Championship. Bristow said he was surprised when Nelson left the private school after his freshman year and decided to play tennis for the Hornets. The coach believes the young star has helped Herndon become “one of the better teams in the region this year” and has a solid chance at winning the state singles title this year.

“Herndon at the time was struggling at the bottom and sometimes really good USTA players forego playing high school tennis, so I didn’t want to put any undue pressure on him,” Bristow said. “We’ve had good athletes on the team, but we hadn’t had a really focused player until [Nelson joined].”

Although Nelson plays for the Hornets, he spends most of his time training at the Tennis Center at College Park in Maryland in the Champ Program, which was set up by Patrick McEnroe. Nelson started training two months ago with his new coach Vesa Ponkka, who is also the tennis director of the facility.

“Normally, I get up at 6:30 a.m. and go to class until 2 p.m. then come home grab a snack and go to College Park at 3:15 p.m. and practice until 6 p.m.,” Nelson said. “When school gets out I will go in the morning starting from 10 [a.m.] to 12 p.m. and then 2 to 5 p.m.”

Playing in the ultra competitive USTA tournaments have helped develop Nelson into the highly recruited player he is today. He entered his first tournament at age eight and three years later he was thriving.

“At age 11, I was ranked No.1 in the Mid-Atlantic,” he said. “I figured out I was good and really liked it, so I decided to keep going for it.”

Philip and his mother, who acts as his manager currently, have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to several states including Pennsylvania, Arizona and Florida for USTA tournaments. Mildred says it is sometimes tough to play dual roles of mother and manager but believes it has worked out well for her son.

“He’s won a lot of matches but even Roger Federer has lost some matches and Philip has too. Those days you feel like ‘mom’ shouldn’t be in the car, it should be a coach in the car but there’s no coach,” she said. “We’ve tried to find a good balance and Philip loves the sport of tennis. I’ve tried to provide the opportunity for him and think he’s done just an outstanding job and I’m very proud of him.”

Division I College tennis is Nelson’s goal and he has the academic credentials to aid him in reaching his dream. He has been in the Gifted and Talented (GT) program since third grade and currently puts science at the forefront of his studies as he is enrolled in five AP classes this year including calculus, literature and biology.

“Philip is going to be getting a Virginia advanced diploma and is interested in studying biochemistry and bio-medical engineering [in college],” his mother said. “He loves tennis and wants to play division one, but is also is very serious about his academics.”

The 17-year-old also has another goal he has dreamt about throughout his life. He wants to step out onto the same courts that his idols have, drive to the net and volley his heart out.

“I’d love to play in the US Open. The amount of people who get to play in it is tiny though. I have a tournament in Atlanta and the International Grass Courts Championships junior tournament for the ITF is in Philadelphia in June,” he said. “I’m happy going to college to play… and we’ll see what happens.”

Nelson and GMU alum Jessica Keener have entered a mixed doubles qualifying tournament in October through the USTA this year for the US Open. If they win, he will be heading straight toward his target and with that rocket serve of his, who knows what just might happen?

Nelson will compete in the Virginia State Tournament in two weeks.