IN THE GAME OF TENNIS, PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS EVOLVING.
“I think it’s more mental,” Jefferson Page said. “My freshman and sophomore year I was running more on instinct. Now, I’m more mature and more focused. Every shot I hit is more calculated.”
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For the St. Pius X senior, the evolution of his game on the hard top over his years donning the black and orange has translated into an ultra-successful high school career.
This past spring it culminated with a trip to the TAPPS 6A State Tennis Tournament for a second-straight year. Page reached the State Semifinals at the Waco Regional Tennis Center in April after defeating Joshua Sal and of Parish Episcopal (7-5, 6-0) and Marcos Gonzalez of El Paso Cathedral High School (6-0, 6-0).
Page’s success on the tennis court over the years also garnered collegiate attention and this year he signed with Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.
“It was surreal,” Page said of signing to play college tennis. “I knew I could do it, I knew it was going to eventually happen. But when you do it, it’s like ‘man, I really did this’. I’ve got four more years to keep playing, so that’s great.
“I love Atlanta. What I want to do academically was there and just the overall community there was great. So it seemed like the place for me.”
Page, whose favorite professional tennis player to watch is Rafael Nadal, knows he needs to continue to get stronger and continue to improve his game as he takes the next step to the college level.
As he walks away from St. Pius X,Page’s final piece of advice to future tennis players for the Panthers is three words – trust the process.
“It’s going to be tough,” Page said. “Just keep working, put in the work and you can do anything in tennis here at St. Pius X.”