Waunakee HS junior, Nelson, has strong tennis skills in his blood
WAUNAKEE, Wis. — With the return of tennis to the high school sports calendar, one Waunakee High School Junior is poised for a state tournament run. Tyler Nelson hopes to use development physically and mentally from the past year to improve upon an outstanding freshman campaign. He established a high standard as a freshman, beating many of the area’s top seniors and finishing with an amazing 24 and 3 singles record as a freshman Varsity player.
Tyler, now 17, started playing at age 7 and grew up in a family of tennis players. That includes his uncle, 1997 WIAA Division 2 state singles champion Todd Bishop (at Sauk Prairie High School), and his grandfather, former high school coach Paul Bishop.
As a freshman playing against older stronger opponents, Tyler developed his strategic game to compete successfully along with the tennis acumen instilled by his family. Now as a Junior, Tyler is adding a power aspect to his game. Add in a natural poise and he is positioned for a great season. Hitters SportsPlex General Manager Joel Tennison said of Tyler: “Tyler is considered one of the favorites to make a deep run at state.”
According to his mother Aimee, Tyler learned many of his tactics from grandfather, Paul Bishop who goes over strategy with him prior to matches. Paul played at UW-Madison and was a longtime coach at Sauk Prairie High School where his teams and individuals won multiple state championships.
She also credits Joel Tennison and staff at Hitters SportsPlex (Middleton), where Tyler started at age 7 with group lessons on the “quick start” courts, took private lessons at age 8 and participated in Junior Team Tennis for four years. His team qualified for the United States Tennis Association national tournament in Orlando. He now is a member of the Elite Class at Hitters, comprised of the area’s top high school players.
Aimee also points to Waunakee High School coach Chris Nuenthel as instrumental in Tyler’s development: “He let’s Tyler play his game,” Aimee said.
With practice starting May 3rd and matches May 7th be sure to follow the progress of this fine representative of Waunakee.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
