Junior Player Spotlight: Luke Hynes, Point Set Tennis

For the past several years, Chaminade has dominated the boys’ tennis landscape of the Nassau Suffolk Catholic High School Athletic Association (NSCHSAA) here on Long Island. The Flyers have won five straight Class A team titles, and the winner of the last two NSCHSAA individual singles titles plays for them.

His name is Luke Hynes, and he just completed his junior year at Chaminade where he helped lead his team to the aforementioned league title while also defending his individual championship this spring. It was Hynes’ third year competing on the varsity team at his high school, and he has moved up the lineup each season, from third singles as a freshman to first singles this year.

“I really enjoy everyone that I am playing with, we know each other super well and we are all really close,” Hynes said of what he enjoys about competing for Chaminade. “I also embraced the opportunity to be a leader for the team this year, and I take a lot of pride in competing against other schools while representing Chaminade.”

Hynes has worked his way from talented freshman to being the undisputed leader of the Flyers, and he really enjoyed that role this past year, being able to be a guy that his teammates looked to for advice as well as an example to be followed. This past season, he was named the league’s Player of the Year, as voted on by the coaches, and named Chamindade’s Most Valuable Player

“As a freshman I wasn’t very vocal, but now I really try to be the guy rallying the team, talking to guys during matches, giving them feedback, what they are doing well and what else they can be doing,” he said. “I know what it’s like to be an underclassman so I try to take advantage of that experience and be a leader to other guys on the team.”

Hynes’ tennis journey began when he was in first grade, and his mom Karen would take him and his twin brother Aidan to play for an hour every Monday after school. He took part in group lessons where he met other players who remain some of his closest friends today.

He played soccer competitively up until 10th grade, playing on Chaminade’s junior varsity soccer team while also playing varsity tennis. While he enjoyed soccer, tennis gave him something that soccer simply could not.

“It just wasn’t engaging all the time like I wanted it to be,” he says. “In tennis, you’re actively involved in everything, for better or worse. It’s super physical but also super mental, and after having such a great freshman season on varsity, I knew that on the tennis court is where I wanted to be. That’s what I wanted to pursue.”

Hynes committed to tennis fully, and three years ago, when his primary coach Danny Casesa joined Point Set Tennis in Oceanside, Hynes did as well, and that has been his primary training home since.

Working closely with Casesa as well as a group of players who are his friends and share similar goals as he does all at a club where he is comfortable has produced positive results for Hynes.

“There’s a lot of great one-on-one coaching and instruction that happens at Point Set. There’s a group of about eight or nine of us that train with Danny, and he’s always walking around from court to court. That’s one thing I love about Point Set is the courts are close together, so whether he is on your court or the one next to yours, you are getting top coaching,” said Hynes. “I always feel comfortable and welcome when I walk into the facility, and we have a great group of players to train together with.”

One thing that Hynes has as part of his game that separates him from some of his peers is his prowess at the net. While most juniors feel more comfortable hitting from the baseline, Hynes has no problems coming to the net to finish off points, and uses those skills aggressively. Standing at 6 ‘1’’, Hynes is a big kid with a big serve, and he oftentimes serves-and-volleys during matches which is a change of pace from the way many players are used to.

“It’s my go-to move sometimes, I just feel super comfortable up there. I love to get into the net, and I’ve even spoken to some college coaches at showcases I’ve attended who told me they were glad to see it, because it’s almost extinct in the junior game,” said Hynes.

And while he is a good baseline player, he says one thing he works on with Casesa during his training sessions at Point Set is remaining patient back there, and perfecting when to come in and when to stay back. They even have specialized drills they go through to incentivize and force him to stay back longer.

“It’s just one thing I need to work on a little more, but I practice enough and it’s something I have definitely seen improvement on,” he says.

As Hynes continues to smooth out the edges of his game to make him a complete player, he has a strong foundation to build off of. With his sights set on competing at the collegiate level, he will be attending showcases throughout this summer, and has begun engaging in talks with different coaches.

Because he played soccer into his sophomore year, Hynes says he is a bit behind in the recruitment process. He is working tirelessly to make himself stand out, with a focus on building up his strength and conditioning, and is excited to demonstrate his growth to college programs this summer.

When he isn’t playing tennis, Hynes relishes being outdoors, and enjoys hiking, hunting and fishing. He is an active young man and says he would love to attend a school in more of a rural area as opposed to a big city to fit in with his love for the outdoors.

Before he moves on to the next chapter of his tennis career however, Hynes will compete for Chaminade one last time in his senior season, where he aims to bring the Flyers its sixth consecutive league title, and complete a three-peat of his individual title.

He takes great pride in representing his school in the right way, which is something any college can expect when they choose to bring Hynes into their program.