Junior captain of the Bloomfield Hills varsity tennis team, Andrew Zhang is ranked in the top 25 in the United States in tennis according to tennisrecruting.net and usta.com.

“It is a huge honor and has been my dream ever since I started playing competitively. It tells you that you are at the top of your grade and it’s a great feeling to have that you are part of that group,” said Zhang, who believes that his teammates are a huge part to his success. “Playing with my teammates has helped me become more confident and also taught me how to play with more grit. It’s just great to have my teammates there knowing that they will be there to cheer me on and I’ll be there to cheer them on as well. Through that support, it gives me confidence that I can win the tough matches if I put my mind to it.”

Zhang started playing tennis when he was seven years old, and elaborated that “you get that much more exposure to the sport and have more experience than someone that starts later. Practice from then until now has been a huge factor to my success so far because it gives me the confidence to hit all of my shots and execute well when I play in tournaments.”

Zhang’s dad, Li Zhang is proud of how his son has worked his hardest to earn the honor of being ranked at the top of his class. “Andrew is incredibly dedicated to his tennis career, and it might be surprising to learn but he dictates how much he practices every week. We have worried in the past that perhaps he’s doing too much, though we learned that tennis is what he loves and he doesn’t view it as a chore.” said Li.

Along with Zhang’s parents, his coach, Greg Burks, explained how there is a large work ethic portrayed by Zhang and how he is a player unlike he has ever coached. “Andrew is one of the hardest working tennis players I have ever come across. He has worked so hard at his game over the past few years, and it really shows. What separates him from everyone, is the balance in his game; he can do everything and his mentality is almost too perfect for this game.”

Agreeing with Burks, co-captain and senior, Vik Chakkrabortty explained how playing with Andrew has been so inspiring, and no one is more deserving of this national rank.

“When it comes to tryouts and training in the offseason, you look up to a guy like Andrew. You want to work harder, and you want to be like Andrew. When being on a team with him, you learn a lot of good tips, it’s inspirational,” said Chakkrabortty. “He does private lessons and he’s going to groups and off the court. He does extra training with trainers and that shows how he is dedicated everyday and every second.”

Zhang, a junior, plans to announce where he will play college “during or before his senior year of high school.” He has the goal of reaching the number one rank in the country, by the end of his high school career.