Junior Player Spotlight: Reagan Chou
“Why not me? Why not you? Why not us?”
That’s the caption that concludes a lot of Instagram posts from Reagan Chou, a nine-year-old tennis player from Long Island. Chou has become one of the best players on Long Island for his age, and uses his social media channels to not only share his tennis voyage with the world, but also to help him track his own progression.
“The point is to share my journey and it’s great to see others in their journey as well,” Chou said. “It is so cool to use social media to be able to look back at what I did when I started and where I am now. I also don’t have enough room on my iPad to save all these photos and memories.”
His page is full of a combination of intense training videos, positive messaging, practice shots and funny family moments, creating an overall channel that represents exactly what we want to see out of our young junior players: having fun while navigating the competitive world of junior tennis.
And make no mistake, Chou is a competitive junior tennis player. He began playing tennis when he was four-years-old through the Net Generation programs. He can remember hitting a balloon over the net with his coaches, and he immediately was hooked.
Fast-forward just a few years, now nine-years-old, Chou competes against older players. He is currently ranked 18th on Long Island in the Boys’ 12s division, and he embraces the competitiveness that tennis brings out of him.
This fall, he traveled to Austin, Texas to compete in the “Little Mo” Nationals. While he did not achieve the exact result he wanted, being able to travel across the country, and see new places is one of the best aspects of being a competitive junior player for Chou.
“I love meeting new friends, and I love traveling around the United States to play,” he says. “It’s amazing. I am lucky to go with my whole family. It’s really cool to see how great some kids are and even cooler to see some friends that I have met at other tournaments as well. We root for each other, and it’s a great bonding experience.”
If you scroll through Chou’s Instagram page, you can see the enthusiasm he has for the sport of tennis, and how he shares his tennis journey with his older sister, Lilliana. Tennis is a family endeavor for the Chou’s, and having a big sister who also plays tennis gives him somebody to lean on.
“She is the reason why I play, seeing some of her successes made me want to play and try harder,” he said. “I am very lucky to have Lilly as a big sister she makes time to hit with me and I get to hit really hard with her, so I am prepared during the tournaments.”
One of his primary training homes is Carefree Racquet Club in North Merrick. Chou plays in many of the club’s group lessons that are run by Director of Tennis Ben Marks.
“I play there twice a week, and I love being there because the people are super nice and supportive,” he explains. “Ben just makes it fun, and creates the perfect balance for me. I get to practice without too much pressure. They challenge me, but also know when to make it really fun which is a perfect environment to learn and grow.”
In discussing Chou, Marks said:
“Reagan works extremely hard and you can see his desire to improve every time he is out there, especially when the points start! At such a young age, his fight and his grit definitely makes him stand out. He definitely makes you forget his young age when he is out there on the court especially when he plays with players much older than him. We try to encourage Reagan especially in group sessions to try and play a little more offensively and take a few more risks here and there. He loves to compete and he loves to win, so its finding a balance between practicing new things that may not be successful right away and his desire to beat his opponent!”
Chou’s biggest strength is his effort on the court. He won’t be outworked or outhustled during a match, which provides an ideal foundation to build from. He admits that his mental game is something he can improve on, and is something he is working on. Staying calm during a match, and not getting too high or too low, is an area of focus in his training right now.
In addition to tennis, Chou plays soccer competitively. When he scores, he likes to celebrate like his favorite player, Ronaldo. And when he isn’t playing sports, he enjoys hanging out with his friends and eating his favorite food, ice cream, as well as watching his favorite YouTube channels, which provides inspiration for his own pages.
At just nine-years-old, the future is bright for Chou, and it will be exciting to follow his tennis journey through his popular social media pages, as he aims to become the best tennis player he can.
“I want to be one of the best tennis players at each age I turn,” he says. “I want to play Carlos Alcaraz one day. Why not me?”
