Junior Player Spotlight: Evan Lee

One of the best qualities any young tennis player can have is the ability to be coached. The desire to get better and improve one’s game means sometimes listening to those trying to help you, and then taking that information and applying it to the court.

And that doesn’t imply that you should follow your coach blindly and not process what they are saying to you, just the opposite. As a dedicated player, the onus is on you to understand the teaching you are receiving and confirm it for yourself, otherwise you are not truly learning.

That is a quality that Evan Lee has, and something that has impressed the many who have helped him along the way on his junior tennis journey. It takes a village. Lee trains at John McEnroe Tennis Academy with Coach Paul Koenke and has had a longstanding relationship with Steve Kaplan, the Founder and Owner of Bethpage Park Tennis Center, who has worked with Lee, now a high school junior, since he first began playing tennis.

“I think Evan is a great example of someone who has that ability. He is somebody who is a very good student in the classroom, very thoughtful, and he’s always asking questions,” said Kaplan. “He is a very inquisitive person, and doesn’t take anything for granted. He wants to know the why, not just the what. I always tell him that when I give him information, I want you to question it internally, and verify it for yourself. You’re responsible for your own education, so go on your phone or computer, look at the best players in the world, and does what I say reinforce what you see in the fundamentals of what they do. Evan is someone who is great at integrating his desire to be a great student into his desire to be a great player.”

Lee has always taken his academics very seriously, and there are a lot of similarities between the traits needed to both succeed in the classroom and on the tennis court.

“I believe that academics are very important, and things such as discipline and hard work are needed to be a good student and a good tennis player,” said Lee. “Time management is really important and tennis has taught me how to handle that. I think I have improved in that aspect over the years. Just balancing my training and my tournament schedule with school is something I have gotten better at.”

That time management is even more crucial for someone like Lee, who unlike a lot of players at his tennis level, attends school in-person and takes a full course load, rather than being homeschooled or taking classes online.

While other juniors his age may be prioritizing practice or tournaments above their education, Lee has found the balance and ability to do both, while not missing a beat in terms of his training regimen or tournament results.

“I want to strike a balance between success in tennis and academics, which isn’t always the easiest,” said Lee. “It can make it difficult to travel to tournaments, and I may not train as much as some of my peers. But I strive to make it work.”

And make it work he has. Lee is currently ranked second on Long Island in the Boys 16s category, and ranked 15th in the Eastern section. It’s a tennis journey that began when he was five-years old.

Lee can recall going through the USTA’s pathway progression with the different colored balls, and took part in the USTA’S Early Development Camps when he was younger.

“When I was younger I was playing tennis and swimming, and I realized I just loved tennis so much more,” Lee said. “I chose to stick with tennis, I just had a lot more fun playing it, and I appreciate all the opportunities I have had to train with some great coaches and top juniors over the years.”

Kaplan is one of those coaches and someone Lee has worked with for many years. Both place a strong emphasis on education which is what has made their relationship so successful, and Lee knows how much he has learned about the ins-and-outs of tennis from Kaplan.

“He has been a longtime mentor of mine, and he helps me way beyond the tennis court,” explains Lee. “He has always emphasized the value of academics, and in terms of tennis, he has helped me with technique and the mechanics and fundamentals of tennis, which helped me build a foundation.”

Additionally, Lee credits Koenke with further strengthening is game. Lee says, “Coach Paul has helped me with tactics and strategy, and adding variety to my game.”

On improving his tennis, Lee has been working a lot on building up his fitness and conditioning to supplement his talent. Working with trainers has been a huge plus for Lee. His speed and relentlessness on the court makes him a difficult opponent, and something he continues to build up during in his training.

“The focus has been not so much on strength, but on function, getting him to be more symmetrical and moving effectively from side-to-side, front-to-back,” said Kaplan. “The last couple of years he has done a lot of functional movement training which has made him a lot stronger in his core, and it’s been paying off on the court.”

Koenke added:

“Working with Evan is an absolute pleasure. What sets him apart is the focus and intensity he brings each and every day. The consistency he shows on a daily basis is very rare to find at his age and the dedication to his craft is paying off.  He balances school, tennis, and off-court training and still manages to excel in all areas. His work ethic both on and off the court will continue to serve him well in the future, and there’s no doubt he will be successful in whatever he sets out to do.”

Lee’s unrelenting work ethic both on and off the tennis court continues to pay off, and he is excited to continue taking the next steps in his tennis journey. As we begin 2025, he is preparing for the final half of his junior year in high school with an eye towards his future.

“Right now, I am just looking forward to improving my game, and it’s a short-term goal I have to get to my long-term goal, which is to play college tennis,” he explains. “I’m just starting to explore my college options, and I’m in the early stages of that, and at this moment, I’m focused on my training and tournament schedule which will help me get to that level.”