Boys Tennis Co-Captain Jeff Shen ’26 grew up viewing tennis as a solitary sport. But when he stepped on the court at Andover as an incoming Lower, he felt the team’s camaraderie and strong bonds despite playing mostly separately on the court. Now, as Co-Captain in his final season, he aims to ensure the rest of the players can find value in being on Boys Tennis.
“I started [tennis at] age six. Basically, my dad kind of put a racket in my hand, and he said, go with some tennis balls. And I’ve been playing ever since… when I came into the [Tennis team at Andover], I could immediately feel the [tennis team’s] culture. I was really thankful because that year we had a lot of strong members and seniors who [were] really life-changing for me. Andover introduced that team aspect [of the sport], where we go out, and we compete as a whole, you’re not only worried about yourself, but your teammates next to you,” said Shen.
Shen remarked on how his experience playing doubles contributed to this sense of community.
“I hadn’t played much doubles growing up. I’m mostly a singles player, but at Andover, doubles is really important in the high school tennis leagues… Andover was really marked by that unprecedented level of teamwork and team spirit, [which] almost pervaded this team,” said Shen.
George Richardson ’27, who was Shen’s doubles partner last year, reflected on how Shen’s approach to leadership goes beyond his own game to invest in the development of every player. Richardson also spoke to the energy Shen brings as a teammate.
“Jeff has made a really good effort at trying to bridge the gap between the class years and getting to know all of our players well. He’s also really good at giving feedback to our players, coaching and mentoring them, even though he’s technically not our coach,” said Richardson.
He continued, “Honestly, Jeff is pretty funny off the court, but on the court, he’s really focused and driven. Jeff and I played a lot of doubles in my Lower year, and we had a really good dynamic going on for us. We’re pretty loud on court, probably because Jeff has a way of pumping me up, and I have a way of, in turn, pumping him up.”
Sean Liu ’28 described how Shen makes teammates feel at home, both on and off the court.
“He leads by example, always very focused on the court and encouraging others to train with the same intensity. Off the court, he treats all of us like equals. He waves to me when I cross paths with him on the campus. Even during tryouts, on the very first day before I even made the team, he gave me advice on my return of serve, and I find it very helpful and comforting to know that he’s like looking out for me,” said Liu.
In his final season, Shen hopes to leave behind a lasting legacy by furthering Boys Tennis’ welcoming and close-knit team culture.
“This year, we’ve seen an unprecedented amount of change. We’ve had, I think, 5 or 4 new players on the team. So it’s going to take a little while for them to get used to this team, and I want to be as welcoming as I can to these new players,” said Shen.
He continued, “I’d say my biggest goal is to lead by giving others the impression that it’s okay to try new things. It’s okay to have fun on the tennis court, especially since if you’ve been playing at this high level for such a long time, there’s rarely room for fun or for reprieve. And I’d like to lead by showing these younger players that [Boys Tennis] is a place where you can improve, but also build relationships that will last a lifetime. I hope that this year we can achieve and foster a community like that because it’d be great to come back next year, visit games, and see that thrive with the players we have right now.”
