HOLMDEL – Michael Chen is like most teens. He enjoys watching television. He enjoys viewing movies. He enjoys, as he put it, “hanging out with my friends.” He enjoys shooting hoops with his buddies.
Put a tennis racket in his hands, however, and Chen is far from your typical teen.
The Holmdel High School senior has established himself as one of the state’s top players on the varsity team.
As a freshman, he went 29-3 at second singles on the varsity team. He lost in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA State Singles Tournament.
Promoted to the first singles position by coach Chuck Chelednik, Chen piled up 32 wins against three losses and bowed in the state tournament quarterfinals as a sophomore.
Chen won everything there was to win last season at No. 1 where he went 35-0 and won the state tournament.
Chen has continued to star at the first slot this year, winning 30 of his first 31 matches. His lone blemish was a loss via default (sickness) in the consolation finals of the Delbarton Tournament. Chen succumbed in the first set and bowed out.
“It would be nice to leave a legacy,” Chen said. “I think I made a good impact on the Holmdel community. Not to sound braggy, but it would be nice for our underclassmen to try to emulate me. I have set abar for our future upperclassmen and underclassmen.
“If you train hard and work hard, anything is possible and you can become a great player.”
Chen said he will miss competing for the Hornets.
“I will definitely miss playing for Holmdel,” he said. “I have spent almost my entire life in this town. I was on the team for four years and I will miss it when I leave.”
Chen credited Chelednik for a large part of his development on and off the court.
“I will definitely miss him,” Chen said. “He made a huge impact on my career and my life. He was a mentor in terms of technique. He taught me life lessons that I can apply outside of tennis. He taught me discipline and hard work.”
Chen will continue his career on an academic scholarship package at Georgetown University where he will major in business. He chose the Hoyas over Lehigh and the University of Chicago.
“I figured it would be a really good place to spend my next four years,” he said. “It is known for its great academics and athletics.”
Chen first visited the Big East Conference school during the fall of 2013.
“I toured the campus and met the coach,” he said. “He was real nice. I left thinking it would be a real good fit for me.”
Chen underwent what Chelednik termed a “huge” growth spurt, sprouting some six inches between his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“That impacted me a lot,” Chen said. “The added height was a great addition to my game. It helped my serve as I was able to serve from a higher point.”
“He really blossomed,” Chelednik said. “He got bigger and stronger and got a bigger serve. He had to grow into his body as he had to throw his toss higher.”
Ranked among the top 10 percent in a class of nearly 250 students, Chen is a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society.
“Michael is so smart,” Chelednik said. “He will get a degree and be very successful in life with a good job. He is well rounded.”
By Chris Christopher
Photo Courtesy Holmdel High
