Strength, speed, and the ability to change direction quickly are necessary in developing a strong athletic skill set. Applying that skill set with the technical needs of a given sport is what creates athletic ability. Brantley County eighth-grader Grant Jacobs, son of Greg and Sherry Jacobs, found out the truth of that statement when his dad wanted him to try tennis a few years ago. Grant’s dad, a former basketball coach and assistant superintendent in Brantley County, thought Grant, who grew up playing the sport his dad loved, would enjoy tennis. Tennis would also help Grant on the hardwood, too, as Grant soon found out.
“My Dad is an absolute sports fanatic. He coached basketball and spends time going to mine and my brothers’ games and working with us to be the best. He asked me if I wanted to go to Coach Matt Thrift’s tennis camp when I was in fourth grade,” Jacobs said.
The decision to go to Thrift’s camp to learn about tennis certainly influenced his future sports career.
“We started out not even hitting real tennis balls. We were hitting big foam balls on mini nets across the court. I had to get used to hitting the ball the right way, but once I did, I started to really enjoy tennis,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs kept playing tennis and improving his skills and ended up making the Brantley County Middle School tennis team as a sixth-grader.
“I understood the quickness of movement and changing direction from playing basketball, but that intensifies when you have a fast serve coming at you and you have to get you racquet around and return the ball in bounds,” Jacobs said.
Probably the most valuable understanding that Jacobs gained in this year besides experience was playing doubles with a meticulous eighth-grade partner. “I have always tried to be my best in everything. When I was playing doubles, my partner was a perfectionist in everything he did. It started to help me really learn the mental game better. My partner wanted to play the entire match perfectly. I adopted that same philosophy, but also learned that sometimes you have to play through making a mistake,” Jacobs said.
Playing his best tennis was important, but he also realized his performance on the court impacts his entire team, not just him.
“I can be very mad in a tennis match, especially knowing that how I am playing or a missed shot can affect the whole team. I have learned, though, that I can be upset, but I can’t dwell on a shot that I missed or a fault point because of teammates depending on my match for overall points,” Jacobs said.
During his middle school tennis career, he also has strengthened his technique and started to really develop a passion for the game of tennis, on and off the court.
“I started to get bigger and stronger. My movement on the court was quicker, and I started to learn how to develop new shots. Tennis is a situational game and how hard and where you swing your racquet controls the ball. I have learned to put more top spin on the ball. I am learning how to play the game the way I am supposed to and where I need to be on the court to hit a certain shot,” Jacobs said.
He has also started to pay more attention to professional tennis. Wimbeldon is his favorite tournament, and Pete Sampras and Novak Jokovjeciz are his favorite professional players.
As Jacobs developed his game, he bolstered it playing against some strong competition in the United States Tennis Association open tournaments in Valdosta and Brunswick. He also learned the different types of courts playing on clay tennis courts tournaments at Jekyll Island.
“Clay courts are different from the cement courts we normally play on. They have a totally different feel to them, and the ball can do different things. But I enjoy the challenge of playing on them,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs will be a rising freshman next year for the Brantley High School tennis team and has gained a lot of experience during his time with the middle school that will benefit him.
“I have really enjoyed my whole time that I have played tennis during my middle school years. Coach Lee and Coach Thrift have been great the way they have taught us the game. Everyone from sixth graders to seniors play together. We all get along like a big family which makes it even better,” Jacobs said.
In addition to playing tennis, Jacobs is also a shooting guard on the basketball team and a strong student that enjoys Georgia History.
“I am really excited to have Grant as a part of the varsity team next year. Coach Lee does a great job with the middle school program helping players learn the game and get ready to play high school tennis. Grant works extremely hard and will definitely help our boys team,” Brantley County High School Head Tennis Coach Matt Thrift said.
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Hardwood leads to success on the tennis court
By John Wood
