Meet Weston tennis player, recent graduate Olivia Chen

WESTON, Mass. — Olivia Chen has played tennis since she was six years old, playing competitively in USTA tournaments through the 14U division. At that time, Olivia was ranked in the top 10 in New England and had a national ranking as well. Realizing that she didn’t enjoy the tournament world as much anymore and wanting to experience a team environment, she stopped in 9th grade and began to focus on playing for Weston High School (WHS).

For all four years, Olivia, with her speed and endurance, has been an integral part of the Girls Varsity Tennis team, having an overall personal win/loss record of 40-9. This year, at one singles, Olivia continued to be a force to be reckoned with, having 13 wins to only 4 losses. Her leadership on the team helped them reach the State Championships, where they played well, but ultimately fell to #2 seed Newburyport.

Olivia’s success is due in part to her hard work and intensity – “maybe too intense,” she says with self-deprecating humor. If she does get in her head too much, she credits her teammates with helping her loosen up and be her best out on the court.

All of Olivia’s success has been recognized as she is a two-time DCL-All Star. In addition, this year, she was named DCL Player of the Year, a Boston Globe All-Scholastic and a Boston Herald All Scholastic.

Next up for Olivia is Cornell University’s College of Engineering in the fall, where we know her hard work and intensity will pay off in spades!

Congrats, Olivia!

Interview with Olivia:

What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?

Olivia Chen: To continue to play throughout my life and hopefully play club tennis in college.

What do you love about your sport?

Chen: The challenge of figuring my opponent out.

What is your biggest challenge in your sport?

Chen: Dealing with my emotions on the court. It’s really hard to learn how to move on from a mistake; and, unlike a true team sport, you don’t have others to rely on if you’re not having the best day. It’s just you out there competing.

What was the best advice you were ever given?

Chen: My dad always tells me to move my feet.

Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.

Chen: We were playing the undefeated team of Boston Latin, and I was going up against their #1 singles player, who was undefeated at the time and one of the strongest players in the league. I lost the first set 6-0 – it didn’t look good – but I stayed calm and decided not to miss and wore her down, ultimately beating her in three sets.

Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?

Chen: I don’t have a pregame ritual, but, while on the court, I do everything in sets of three – bounce the ball, count to 3 when drinking water, etc.

What do you like to do outside of your sport?

Chen: Crossfit, which has improved my fitness greatly, and baking (specifically bread).

What has being a member of a team taught you?

Chen: Team tennis has taught me that sometimes, when you’re not having the best day and lose your individual match, your teammates can come through and win the team match!

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