June 3, 2009

Adam Zagoria
Special to Rivals High

Tom Darling can't quite remember when he last lost a high school tennis match.

He thinks it must have been in eighth grade ? four years ago.

Since then, Darling has amassed a combined record of 60-0 in singles and doubles at Braintree (Mass.) Thayer Academy.

"In our league [the Independent School League] I think the most consistent and disciplined players do the best," said Darling, who has earned an athletic scholarship to Elon University. "What makes me good is I'll never, ever, ever give up, and I take pride in our team and I want us to do well."

Darling reached the Boys 18 National Tennis Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., last year and was ranked No. 6 in New England. But at 5 feet 9 and 140 pounds, he doesn't exactly remind anyone of Pete Sampras - or even Andy Roddick. Think Lleyton Hewitt, one of Darling's early idols, instead.

He is slight for a tennis player but possesses a powerful serve that has been clocked at 112 mph, strong groundstrokes and an all-court game that allows him to outplay opponents.

"He's not a huge guy, but he mixes up the speeds, spins and angles," said Thayer coach John Nestel, who taught at the famed Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and was once ranked among the top 1,000 players in the world. "We've worked and he continues to improve on shot combinations. He's really using his head out there to win these matches."

That's not bad for a guy who competed in seemingly every sport but tennis until the eighth grade. Baseball, lacrosse, competitive dancing and surfing with his buddies off the chilly New England coast.

"It's cold, but it's worth it," he said.

His favorite sport? Hockey.

"I played hockey for 13 years," he said. "My freshman year was my last year of hockey. I went in at 125 pounds and got the [stuff] kicked out of me. I had a couple scary hits in hockey, so I said, 'Let's try something different.' "

Enter tennis. He made the varsity as an eighth-grader. Two years later, he became so focused on the game that he quit playing other sports for one year to focus exclusively on tennis.

"In three years, I went from recreational [tennis] to the Division I level, which is kind of nice," Darling said.

Over the past two full seasons at Thayer, Darling did not lose a single match. He completed his latest victories in singles and doubles last week before heading out on a school trip to Hawaii.

Upon returning, Darling will prepare for the USTA New England Sectionals in late June at Yale University.

"I think he needs to get stronger, needs to continue to work on his strategic shot combinations and start penetrating the court more with the ball," Nestel said. "He's got a shot to play some ATP Future [tourneys]."

As evidence that his range of interests is seemingly endless, Darling also said he could envision himself joining the military or the FBI after college.

"I want to live life to the fullest," he said.

THE NETWORK: Rivals site for your state | National High School Message Board