Jack Rosenburg, a 12-year-old, nationally ranked tennis player whose family splits time between Martha’s Vineyard and Puerto Rico, returned to the Island after competing earlier this month at the Clay Court National Championships in Delray Beach, Fla., where he faced off against some of the highest-ranked under-12 tennis players in the country.
The tournament, which invites 124 of the country’s best under-12 tennis players to compete, was the young player’s first national tournament, and it provided Rosenburg with a challenge that he said boosted his confidence and reshaped his approach to the game.
For Rosenburg, who is ranked 93rd nationally, and No. 1 for his age group in Puerto Rico, his love of tennis originated on Martha’s Vineyard when he was just 6 years old, taking lessons at Vineyard Family Tennis (VFT) in Oak Bluffs.
“I realized my first lesson, the moment I started playing –– I just loved it from the very start,” said Rosenburg. “I like the feeling that you can control what you can control.”
Under the guidance of Coach Oscar Michalek from Poland, who mentors Rosenburg in the summer at VFT, he developed a passion for the sport. “My parents just signed me up, and I went with the flow,” he said.
At the national tournament, Rosenburg played four singles matches and one doubles, partnering with Puerto Rico’s No. 2 player to take on the third-best doubles team in the country. Despite suffering a hard-fought loss, 6–2, 6–1, and a 6–2, 6–2 singles defeat to a Southern California player ranked 128th nationally, Rosenburg said his real takeaway was a new style and new level of confidence.
“It kind of surprised me,” he said. “The players I played against, they weren’t hitting it as hard as I expected, but they were keeping the ball deep, so I couldn’t really attack.”
Rosenburg said the tournament taught him the value of consistency over an aggressive, point-seeking style of play.
“It boosted my confidence, to say the least,” said Rosenburg. “It also kind of changes the way I want to play the game, because I usually go for winners, but I’m not consistent enough.”
Rosenburg, who has had his eyes set on qualifying for the national tournament since last year, said his goal was not primarily to win but to improve. “It’s a very, very hard tournament, so I am not concentrating on winning, I am just concentrating on learning,” he said.
As he continues to train in Puerto Rico in the off-season and on Martha’s Vineyard with the VFT in summers, Rosenburg said his goal is to play Division 1 tennis, and continue improving his national ranking.
“I want to just get better,” he said.