Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.
Athlete of the Week: Griffin Jordan, Wellesley High School senior
Sport: Boys tennis (co-captain)
When & how you got involved in this sport: I first started playing tennis with my dad when I was around 4 years old. I played casually until I was 12, which is when I got involved with the New England Tennis Academy, playing more seriously by doing weekly clinics and playing tournaments.
What you love most about this sport: I love the respect component of tennis. You can have a hard-fought match with your opponent and still shake hands and show appreciation towards them, no matter if you win or lose. In fact, some of my best matches were the ones that I played again the strongest opponents who beat me but who challenged me to be a better tennis player. I also love that you can still generate a team atmosphere even though tennis, in and of itself, is a very individual sport.
Pre-match ritual: Pre-match, I usually eat whatever fruit I can find and drink a Gatorade. I also try to kind of zone out, letting go of whatever stressors or distractions I might have outside of tennis.
Top goal for this season: Individually, I’d say my goal is to continue to improve and become more consistent with my play as the season rolls on. For the team, I’d say our goal would be to reach the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
Thoughts so far about this year’s team: So far, the team has competed really well against top opponents. We lost a lot of strong seniors from last year’s team but I feel like we’ve done a good job of replicating the same dedication that brought a lot of success in previous years.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I’m proud to have been selected as a co-captain for this year. I take seriously my role as a leader for this team and I do my best to give advice and answer questions and, most importantly, to act as a role model for our underclassmen. There are so many motivated and talented players on the team and I am grateful to have a strong co-captain in Chris Johnson, whose leadership qualities I admire.
A funny or inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: I won my first tournament when I was probably around 13 or 14. After winning the final match, I packed up and started walking toward my dad’s car. I heard someone yelling behind us and turned to see the tournament supervisor chasing after us with a trophy I forgot I had won. Needless to say, it was an interesting and rewarding experience.
Interests outside of your sport: Outside of tennis, I like to hang out with friends and engage in other passions, such as movies and history. I also like to run whenever I have the time. I also love following many sports teams, including our Boston teams and F1 racing.
What other sports you play, if any: Cross-Country
Coach Mike Sabin’s take: Griffin is a senior co-captain, and our 2nd singles player. He always competes the way a coach would want. He works hard and has improved steadily each season. There’s never controversy on his court, he displays good sportsmanship and I can use his matches as a model for our younger players for how they should play a match. Our schedule is filled with difficult opponents, both in-league and non-league, and he sometimes goes into a match as a bit of an underdog. He will give his best effort no matter what. I have very much enjoyed coaching him.
