This is GAVIN YOUNG’s story. He’s a player at the University of Michigan Class of 2025, ranked ITA #59 and ATP #747 (As of Jan 27), and now stepping into the next chapter of his tennis journey: giving the ATP Tour his all. But getting here hasn’t been easy. Gavin has battled through chronic shoulder pain that tested both his body and his motivation to become a better tennis player.
Recently, he proved what perseverance can do by winning his first M25 tournament, a milestone that reflects years of grit and hard work. Gavin’s story isn’t just about the wins; it’s about the struggles, the sacrifices, and the passion that keeps him moving forward. This is what chasing greatness looks like, and we’re proud to share his journey.
How do you feel about your last year in college, and what are you looking forward to doing when you finish?
Yeah, it's crazy to me that I'm already a senior and I already have only, you know, a couple more months left in college tennis. But it's been amazing. I've made some of the most memorable moments in my life and have met some of my best friends from college tennis.
So it's kind of sad for me that I only have one more semester left here. But at the same time, it's, you know, you got to grow up and you kind of, you got to move on eventually. So it's kind of exciting as well that obviously there's kind of another journey and another kind of path that I'll take next year.
But as of now, the plan is to try to play professional and really give that a shot. Yeah, I don't necessarily want my last college match to be my last tennis match ever. So I want to try to give it, you know, a go and see how it goes.
Totally, yeah. Many college tennis players stop playing professionally after graduation.
It's fantastic that you're going to give it a shot. I've noticed you've been playing for a while now and are currently ranked 700 in the world.
I also saw that you won an M25 tournament in Edwardsville last year – that's incredibly impressive. How did that victory impact your confidence and your outlook on your future on the professional tour?
Yeah, it was awesome. I think it kind of showed that I can kind of play at that level. And also, I think there's kind of another level to be unlocked.
And because I think the future is such a high level of tennis. So knowing that I can hang with those guys and even win one of them gives me a lot of confidence for sure. So yeah, that was a really cool tournament and one of the most probably memorable weeks of my life.
And that was awesome. I think tennis is pretty dependent on confidence. You know, you're feeling the ball, you have good confidence.
And a lot of that's result-based too. You win a few matches and all of a sudden you have confidence or you lose matches and you lose your confidence. So I try to keep that in perspective.
Like, even though you lose a few matches, you don't want that to affect your confidence. But I think as long as I'm focused on kind of developing the right mindset. But yeah, that was really cool moment for sure.
Totally, yeah, that's really cool. You mentioned how losses can impact confidence. How do you overcome those moments where you perhaps lose two matches in a row?
And how do you deal with the feeling that something might be going wrong with your tennis?
Yeah, I think it's really hard just because with the sport that we're in, it's so independent and it's just you out there. So when things aren't going right, it's kind of all put on you. Whereas in team sport, you have a team kind of surround you to kind of help pick you up.
But I think a lot of it is just trying to have the mindset of trying to get better each week. If you're stuck in the mindset of you're too result oriented, then your confidence is going to fluctuate and just oscillate up and down each week. But if you're really focused on that end goal of where you want to be, then I think you can kind of be more towards equilibrium and keep that calm mindset.
But it's really hard for sure to have that mindset, I think. But I think that's the best way to handle it.
Absolutely. Let's talk about your tennis career in general. What are your dreams and aspirations for the future of your tennis career?
Perhaps let's focus on the next year. What are your goals for the upcoming year?
I would say for next year, it'd be great if I could play, at least give myself a shot to play in Grand Slams. So maybe have the chance to play qualys of some of them. I think that would be really, really cool to do.
Eventually, hopefully, one of my biggest dreams is to play in the US Open at home. I think that would be incredible. I remember going to that when I was a kid.
But yeah, for next year, that's definitely a goal. I see a lot of players who I've played in college who are doing incredibly well in the Futures and Challenger level and have kind of peaked through to the next level of making the Grand Slam qualys. So I think that'd be a dream for sure.
Yeah, totally. For example, take Ben Shelton—look at the leap he’s made in the past few years. He was playing college tennis just two years ago. I mean, that kind of success has to give college players confidence that making that jump to the pros is possible.
Because, like we said earlier, a lot of players stop playing after college, even though it doesn’t have to be the end. It could actually be the beginning of something great. So, for example, how do you feel when you see someone like Ben Shelton making that jump?
Yeah, I think that's pretty inspiring because I mean, a few years ago, because we're the same age, we were the same age in school. And once he graduated early and played a semester early, which is actually what I did too. So I mean, it's kind of cool to see that we're kind of on a similar path.
We played each other a bunch too growing up. And it's kind of cool to see that like, you know, our levels were here and then someone who was, you know, the same could have the potential to make that massive jump. And I think it's cool.
Like you see a lot of players like I think Tiafoe and younger, like they didn't play college. They kind of made that jump a little earlier, but it's cool to see that Shelton played in college. He played college tennis and he was able to develop his game and then obviously make a massive jump.
But it's definitely inspiring to see him do well.
He’s playing against Sinner in two days at the Australian Open—that’s really cool to see. Have you ever played against Ben Shelton before?
I played him a couple of times in singles and I think I beat him once and lost once. And beat him in doubles once and think I lost him in doubles once.
That’s really cool. All right, let’s go back to the beginning—when did you start playing tennis?
I started when I was really pretty young. Both of my parents are coaches and they kind of put tennis into my life at a really young age. And, you know, ever since a young age, I always kind of loved the sport.
And so, yeah, I would say because of my parents and they kind of introduced it to me at a young age.
Was it something they pushed you to do, or was it more natural—like they just introduced you to the sport?
No, they were good. I wouldn't say they pushed anything onto me. I played a lot of sports growing up.
Played all, you know, basketball, track, baseball and all the sports. And one thing that kind of really pushed me to play, to stick with tennis, was watching all the dual matches because my dad was a college coach at Minnesota. So when I was really young, I would watch those dual matches.
And, you know, the energy and the atmosphere of those matches was just, you know, it was just addicting. And it made me love the sport and want to and strive to be on the court one day.
Totally. Something similar happened to me—I played soccer when I was younger too.
But then I chose tennis for the same reason you mentioned. When I was competing in tennis, there was this feeling I just didn’t get from soccer. Being out there on the court by yourself, competing, and that feeling you get when you win—it’s just unmatched, nothing else compares.
So, when did you start competing? When was your first tournament?
I want to say my first tournament was when I was 10.
Were you always competitive from that first tournament, or at the beginning, were you just playing for fun?
Yeah. Yeah, I would say I was always really pretty competitive.
My parents were kind of the same way. They had that like kind of fight in them where they would step on the court and just be super competitive. And I feel like I've always kind of had that where I'd step on the court and you just wanted to do everything possible just to beat the other guy on the other side of the court.
And I think that can be a really good thing. I think that can be kind of hurtful in some ways too. If you're so focused on winning and that's the only thing you're thinking about, then I think that can kind of get in the way and hinder some development things.
If you're trying to really think long-term, that can be hurtful too. But also I think it's a great thing in some ways because it kind of pushes you and if you're really competitive and you really want to win, I think that gives you an edge. In some ways as well.
Yeah, totally. I noticed you're 6'5". Do you think your height has been an advantage for your game, like with your serve, or do you think it’s put some limitations on certain areas of your game throughout your career?
Yeah, I think I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think it's been really beneficial and definitely with the serve, I think it helps.
There's a lot of benefits to that. Just having a better angle and you're able to hit a little bit more down on the ball. Those are definitely things that really help.
And then I would also say, I'm a more all-court player and like to get to net and I think it's the reach and having maybe longer arms helps a little bit with that as well. But yeah, I don't think... I think I'm still kind of quick.
I know sometimes when you get really tall, it takes away from your quickness a little bit, but I don't necessarily feel that too much.
Were you always a net player, or is that something you started training as you got older?
Yeah, I would say I was always more of a net court player. I think just having my dad and my mom as coaches, they pushed that on me at a young age. And even though maybe it wasn't the right thing to do at 13, 14 years old, just because you're shorter and you just get lobbed all the time, they would still really push it on me just to work on it and just so I could have that in my toolbox.
I'm grateful I did because now I feel like the skills have definitely carried over.
You mentioned that both your mom and dad were your coaches. Now that you're in college and have a coach, what role do they play in your tennis journey?
Yeah, I think they definitely have a role. And it's just another perspective I look at it. Obviously, you have my mom and dad to look for, to look towards.
If I need help or anything like that, I also have my college coaches who are watching me every single day, watching all my matches, or spending a lot more time with me. So they're able to see a lot more things that probably my parents aren't seeing. But yeah, I would say kind of it's another perspective.
And I think that definitely helps. I don't think that hurts in any way.
Are your parents going to continue as your coaches after graduation?
I don't know if they're going to be my primary coaches, just because they're working their jobs. And I think I want to stay. But in the future, they would maybe take up their job.
And eventually maybe help me, which would be pretty cool. But I always know in the back of my mind that I can go to them. And I can go back home and work with my dad for a couple hours or a couple of days if I need to.
And so I always know I can do that as well.
Alright, let’s talk about matches. How do you cope with pressure during a match? For example, how do you handle situations like a tiebreak or a third set?
Yeah, I think when it comes to like, yeah, it's a good question. I think for me, I would say two things. I would say because it's like that external pressure from others that you feel.
And then also kind of that internal pressure that really, that wants you to win that really motivates you. I think what really helps is really having that end goal of having the development mindset. Like how can I work on my game here?
And I think if you have that mindset, then that really takes the pressure and evaporates it in some way. You're really able to think about, how can I just, okay, it's a really, really big match, the finals of a tournament, but how can I take this match and work on a few things and try to improve for the next match? And those are some things that really, really helped me.
And the other thing that I started doing recently is visualizing. And I kind of thought I was like a little silly at first, but I think it really makes a difference. And just closing your eyes and just seeing yourself on the court and seeing yourself play well and doing the right things.
I think there's a big correlation with that and actually doing it and actually playing well. So that's kind of, I guess, two things that I would say when it comes to dealing with pressure.
Do you do the same kind of thing before matches as well? Like, do you use visualization to prepare for it? Let’s say you're playing someone who, on paper, is ranked higher than you—how do you approach those matches? How do you get yourself mentally ready when you step onto the court?
I think one thing I have to remind myself when I'm playing, maybe a player who's much better than me on paper, like he should win is I guess see myself like, you know, if I do have a lead at some point to stay calm and to not like get surprised and not get worked up. Sometimes in the past, when you're playing like a much better player and you have a lead, you're like, okay, well, what do I do with this now? Like, how do I play now?
So I think it's big to, you know, stay calm and not like kind of freak yourself out. So that's one thing I think is important when you're playing better players like that. Because I always think it's better to elevate your level when you're playing those better players.
You know, you can play more free. You're able to play a little bit more looser because you have nothing to lose. So maybe there's a little bit less pressure.
So, but yeah, that's what I would say.
This might be a harder question, but can you recall a time when you felt close to giving up?
I've had a lot of chronic shoulder issues when I was growing up and it was so bad to the point where if I got, you know, fell in a tournament, I'd have to pull out of the tournament, wouldn't be able to finish them. It would take, you know, it would get so inflamed and irritated that I would have to like, take a week off of serving and anything that kind of really stressed it.
And it got like, I was seeing all these physical therapists and I was getting x-rays done and it was just really frustrating because I didn't really have a solution and it was impacting the way I trained, it was impacting the way, you know, my results went. So it was driving me crazy. And ever since I was about 14 years old, I had this too.
So it was going on for so many years. But, you know, luckily the last year or two, we've kind of found out that it was something called adhesive capsulitis. So I've been able to do a few things for it that really, really helped it, which I'm super glad of because, you know, without kind of finding that kind of solution, I don't know if I would have been able to play pro.
So for me, that's kind of just like that, you know, the injuries, you see a lot of players, I feel like stop because, you know, injuries affect them and I don't feel like it's, you know, such a rotational sport, you're bending your body, you're, you know, sliding. It's super hard on your body in a lot of ways. So I think, yeah, I mean, injuries can be brutal.
Do you think that pain held you back when you were younger, like during your junior years? Do you feel like, if you hadn’t been dealing with that pain, you could have been even better?
I think a little bit. I think if I didn't have that, I can just picture the amount of hours I could have been working on my serve and you never know, right? But you'd like to think that it would pay off and it would, you know, it would pay off in a way.
But yeah, it's obviously you can't get those years back. But I think it definitely affected, affected the way I trained, affected the way I viewed the sport sometimes.
Totally, let’s talk about tennis as an individual sport. It can require a lot of sacrifices and it can get lonely. How do you cope with that side of it? And looking back, do you feel like you’ve sacrificed a lot to become a better player? Do you ever regret those sacrifices, or do you think it was all worth it?
Yes and no. I think, I definitely had to make a lot of sacrifices growing up. A lot of those sacrifices was mainly friends, hanging out with friends.
And that was tougher at a young age because like I obviously really wanted to be involved with my middle school friends, my high school friends, because they were all hanging out after school. But I had to go practice. So that was never really fun.
And kind of my main friends were more or less my tennis friends. So I didn't have a ton of school friends just because they were all hanging out. And that was hard for me.
But it was a sacrifice that I feel like you have to make. And you have to be okay with making if you really want to be good at the sport. That's just something that you have to put the hours in and something that comes with it.
So I wouldn't say I don't regret any of it, but it'd be nice if I could hang out with some of those friends and hopefully, you never know, maybe got to know them better. But when it comes to the individual side, I definitely think it is lonely, but there's also a part of the sport where I kind of like get in this zone where I don't really think about anything else. I'm just kind of just locked in on tennis.
And for me, it's kind of refreshing in a way. It's refreshing to kind of just be out on court with my own thoughts and try to work through the battle, you know? And when you're in the heat of the moment, I think you learn things about yourself and it is lonely and very individual sport, but I think that there's upsides to that as well.
You mentioned that many of your friends were hanging out, and you also had a lot of tennis friends. I think it’s pretty common for a teen to get distracted in middle school or high school because there’s so much going on.
So, how did you manage to stay focused and keep your path? How did you avoid those distractions and stay committed to your goal of becoming a great tennis player, choosing that over everything else?
Yeah, yeah. I think a lot of it was, I had these dreams and these aspirations to be on court, you know, in these college dual matches.
And for me, that just motivated me so much. And that just gave me so much drive and motivation to put the work in that kind of overruled hanging out with friends and doing things like that. Obviously, it was really hard.
But, you know, I think I also had my parents to help push me as well. And they understood that they both played the sport and they were both tennis players. So, you know, I was kind of lucky to have them kind of push me and guide me in the right direction.
Not forcing anything upon me, but more kind of guiding me and telling me, this is how it's going to be. Like, if you want to get to this level, this is what it's going to take. And this is how you're going to have to get there.
I don't think a lot of players have that kind of luxury to have coaches as parents. But yeah, I mean, definitely the sacrifice is not easy.
Yeah, totally. I completely agree with you—while tennis is often seen as an individual sport, having a strong team around you is crucial. Even if you're talented, if your circle isn't right, you're not going to make it.
I can see that your greatest emotional support came from your parents. How did you grow up with that kind of support? Do you think having a coach who wasn’t your parent would have made a difference—would it have been better or worse? Because, of course, they’re your parents, but they’re also your coaches. How did you manage that balance?
Yeah, it was a little harder, I think. I think I was, I'm not the easiest person to be on court with. Sometimes I can be like a little chippy.
And sometimes, like, you know, when I'm, you know, I'm battling and in the moment, sometimes, like, it's, I can kind of fight back just from just emotions. But so I think my parents recognize that. And so my main coach growing up was, his name was Urban.
He was a, he was actually the assistant coach for my dad. And so I worked with him primarily for most of my junior career, like when I was in middle school, high school. And not that I didn't work with my parents at all.
Because I still, I still would. They were still taking my tournaments. And I still, I still really enjoyed being on court with them.
It was just sometimes I think I was a little bit, could be a little chippy and sometimes would fight back a little bit too much. So I also had, you know, this other coach who really helped me a lot. And I would probably be a little bit more receptive too.
I think what happens is that, even though you love your parents, sometimes when they give you advice, you might listen to someone else instead. It’s not that they’re not giving you good advice—they’re telling you what they believe is best because they love you. But sometimes, when you’re younger, you just don’t listen as much.
I think that changes as you grow older, though. I totally get what you mean—when you're young, it’s harder to take that advice in.
Right. Yeah.
Alright, how do you feel tennis has helped shape you? What kind of person do you think tennis has helped you become? Do you think if you weren’t playing tennis, you’d be the same kind of person? And, yeah, overall, what has tennis taught you about life and your outlook on it?
I think tennis, at least being part of college tennis, it really taught me to how to work in teams and how to collaborate with others and have this kind of shared goal. And how are you going to try to make your teammates better?
How are you going to try to make everyone else around you a little bit better? And at least being kind of a senior now and at least trying to be a little bit of a leader. I think that's helped me for sure.
Being part of a team has helped me become a leader and I've learned a lot of things from that. And the other thing I would say is when you're playing tennis, like you're dealt with so much adversity and so much crap is thrown your way and you just have to suck it up and deal with it. And I think that's really translated to just life in general as well.
Shit's going to happen and you just kind of have to put your head down and keep going. And it doesn't really matter what happens because if you really want to be your best, whether it's on the court or at your job, you have to outwork the next guy and you got to put the work in. So yeah, tennis has taught me, I feel like so much and all kind of all the past experiences I feel like has really taught me a lot of lessons.
Yeah, I totally agree with you. People who play tennis—or any sport, really—tend to have a different outlook on life than those who haven’t played a sport at all.
Alright, if you could sit down and talk to your younger self, just starting out in tennis, what advice would you give him?
I think so many kids now are just so wrapped up on their UTR, (Universal Tennis Rating) or their ranking and everything like that. And I felt victim to that a little bit as well. But I mean, I would just tell myself when I was 13, 12, 13, 14, like none of that matters.
Like none of that matters at all. Play as if you want to just become the best when you're 17, 18. And yeah, that's kind of, my dad tried telling me that message.
He told me that a few times and it's hard to listen to that when you're 12, 13, 14 and all you want to do is win and beat your friends.
How could I have played where it would make me a better tennis player now? So yeah, I think I just have kind of that growth mindset is crucial to the sport.
Alright, I think, like you said, when you're younger, you tend to compare yourself a lot with the people around you. How did you handle that when you were younger?
How did you avoid falling into the trap of comparing yourself to your friends if they had a better ranking or UTR? How did you stay focused on your own path, your training, and your development as a tennis player?
Yeah, I think part of it has to motivate you. If one of your buddies have a higher ranking, I think that has to fuel you. You have to be hungry to how can you get to that level?
How can you reach them in some way? So I think you have to look at it like instead of trying to like bring you down and get upset, you just have to, yeah, what can I do? What can I do?
And how can I improve to get to that point?
Yeah, totally. So that’s it. I just have two fun fact questions left. Okay, would you prefer winning a Grand Slam or being number one in the world? And why?
I would prefer winning a Grand Slam. I think some of those moments when you win a tournament at that caliber, not that I have or anything, but I just can imagine winning that tournament. And I think that would feel incredible.
And I think being number one, obviously you're going to win matches and you're going to be a good tennis player, but I think you're missing out. I think that's what kind of separates. I think that's kind of like one measurement of who's the best players, who has the most Grand Slams.
That's kind of like the impacts of the sport, I think. Totally. I would probably pick winning a Grand Slam.
Totally, yeah. I can imagine the feeling of winning a Grand Slam must be incredible.
Alright, last question—who was your idol growing up?
A pretty generic answer, but I loved Roger Federer.
That's fine. Mine is Rafael Nadal.
Yeah, I just loved how he was so smooth and obviously just so talented, but also I like to think I play similar to him. He's not as maybe tall, but I like to think he would try to get to net and he was a more aggressive guy and I like to try to have that mindset when I played as well. So I would say Federer was probably my idol.
Actually, I have a follow-up question to the last one. Which Grand Slam would you prefer to win?
I would probably want to win US Open.
Yeah, I mean, Arthur Ashe is the biggest tennis stadium in the world. So I think winning one there and plus on home soil with the US crowd behind you, I think would be incredible.
I think that'd be a sweet feeling.