Ever since he could remember, Houma native Jon Nguyen has played tennis — a journey he started when he was 5 years old.
Today, the fruits of that decade-plus of labor has paid off.
Today, Nguyen can proudly say that he is a state champion.
Nguyen is a sophomore student at Messiah Montessori School in Houma, and is a member of the school’s tennis team.
This past season, Nguyen won the ACEL State Championship for his school, something that he said was an honor and which brought great pride to both he and also his small, tight-knit school.
“With the small amount of people on our team and in our school, it was incredibly unexpected to win the state championship,” he said. “I was in disbelief to be honest, not only with the win, but also the size of the trophy! I loved every minute of it.”
For Nguyen, his ascent to becoming a state championship tennis player is a testament to his hard work and dedication — both on the court, but also in the classroom.
He picked up the sport at 5 and admitted that it took him a while to get used to the highly technical, but also endurance-based sport.
“I have been playing for over 11 years now,” he said. “It definitely took me a while to get the hang of tennis, but it’s also the amount of dedication and hard work that played the biggest role in my success.”
At state, Nguyen said he had no expectations, but just wanted to compete, do his best and have fun. He outlasted the competition and secured the tournament title, which he said is something he will never forget.
In addition to being an exceptional player, Nguyen is also an exceptional student, boasting a team-high GPA and perfect attendance.
“I had no clue what was in store for our school, which has had no event happen quite like this,” he said. “All I could try to do is put in the effort and hard work, and it payed off in the end.”
And now, Nguyen said he’s focused on more success in the future.
He said he’s going to work hard in the coming months to continue to better his game — further strengthening strengths and working to refine weaknesses.
Nguyen said his forehand is his strong suit and is the strength of his game — the shot he also can get most creative with during points.
He’s also working hard to further perfect his serves and volleys and working to be more efficient on the court.
“Although hitting from the baseline constantly has been my main strength, I have to start finishing points quicker and be more offensive,” he said. “This is because my opponents are getting tougher to beat solely from the baseline, so I have to implement better serves and volleys in my game.”
Nguyen said his favorite player is the great Roger Federer, who is undoubtedly one of the best players of all-time. Nguyen said he enjoys Federer because of his discipline and effortlessness when he hits the ball. Nguyen also loves Federer’s unwillingness to be satisfied — no matter the success he attains.
“I strive for perfection — just like he does,” Nguyen said.
The local standout said he doesn’t have set career plans for the future, adding that he is just working hard to make the best grades that he can. He said he believes a profession will come naturally to him and he’s not opposed to maybe even being a tennis coach in the future.
But that, of course, will be after his time on the court is done, which Nguyen hopes is a long ways away.
“Playing college tennis is one of my main goals,” he said. “It would be great to play in Division I college, but before I even think about it, I have to strive for improvement. Thinking about playing in an amazing college helps me want to keep getting better.”
