Holden Babb will be returning to Staley Tennis Academy for his second year in training. Babb first trained at the academy this past summer after his first full year in high school. After a year of training, he climbed to the #2 varsity singles position, ascending from JV the previous year. In his sophomore year after academy, he was the 4th overall seed in his high school conference at the #2 singles position.
“He’s another player from the area who is getting a late start in the sport,” Coach Staley commented. “He walked into the academy in 2019 with the wrong grips, swing paths that needed tweaked, and a few other bad habits.” Despite those technical handicaps, he remains perhaps the academy’s fastest rising player.
How does a player accomplish this feat? According to Staley, Babb’s athleticism is off the charts. “He could very well be the most naturally talented athlete to come from his high school’s tennis program in decades,” explained Staley. “We only had a brief few months to train before his sophomore year and Holden is really still in the technical phase of his training and yet he’s become a force on the court!”
“Babb could very well be the most naturally talented athlete to come from his high school’s tennis program in decades”
—Coach Shane Staley
Staley’s plans are to begin work on groundstrokes and continue to improve Babb’s serve, which saw an increase into the mid-90 mph range during his time in summer academy. “Holden knows we have a lot to work on technically, but he’s hungry and wants to get better,” Staley said. “Once we get into the tactical and mental training phases with him, I’d hate to be on the other side of the net from him.”
Babb joins other academy teammates, Kiah Farrington and Joseph Harper, as returning players from the 2019 academy.
To find out more about Holden, visit his academy player page.
Staley Tennis is a Northern Indiana-based tennis training academy for juniors and a professional verified UTR club for both juniors and adults. For more information on joining this club and playing in future leagues and tournaments, please visit the official Staley Tennis Club site.
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