Herndon Tennis Star Philip Nelson Conquers Court

Herndon High School senior Philip Nelson 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 and gave him my racquetball racquet to use. 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 18-and-under players in the nation.

The senior is also Herndon’s No.1 tennis player 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.

Nelson's trophy case will need an expansion, as he also crushed the competition in the playoffs to win the Northern Region singles title for the first time and the Concorde singles championship for the second year in a row. He 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,” 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 6-foot-2 Nelson has stepped up his training.  He 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 160 lbs. 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 Nelson 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 in College Park, MD 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.

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