Some girls might find it hard to grow up with two older brothers, both of whom went on to rank first on the juniors tennis level, hit with Venus and Serena Williams, and play in college at Duke University and the University  of Pennsylvania, but senior Lauren Pinsky did not let herself be overshadowed, and is pursuing a tennis career that looks just as promising as her brothers’.

Even though Lauren has only been playing tennis for about four years, she has been the Number 1 singles player at CHS for the past three years, was All-Gazette in 2008, the 2009 All-Gazette Player of the Year, and All-Met for the 2010 season.

“Lauren is a very gracious opponent,” senior tennis team captain Danielle Mandir said. “She is always cool and collected when she plays matches and never gets hot-headed. [The] main reason why Lauren is such a great tennis player [is] because she knows how to stay mentally focused.”

Lauren, who practices two to three hours a day, has been playing competitively in tournaments since she was a sophomore and travels to complete nationally. She has played in the National Clay Courts in Memphis, Tennessee and is ranked 128th in the United States.
“I know she will be constantly getting better,” said Jared Pinsky, Lauren’s brother, 2007 alumnus and Duke University tennis player. “If she keeps working hard, I see a very successful college career and national ranking in sight.”

Lauren’s interest in tennis sparked after years of watching her brothers play. This year she looks forward to some tough competition on the court.

“We have some new additions on the team and these outstanding players will only help to push Lauren to improve as we move through the season,” tennis coach Benjamin Woods said.
Though she started to play tennis later than her brothers, Lauren has greatly progressed in her game.

“I’ve seen major improvement from Lauren over the past few years,” Jared said. “She went from beginner tournaments to winning matches in nationals in a matter of a couple years. It’s been great to see the progress.”

When her brothers are home she hits with them, and every year she watches her brothers play with Serena and Venus Williams in preparation for the Australian Open.

“It’s an amazing experience,” Lauren said. “They are actually very nice, down-to-earth people off the court.”

Though Lauren has yet to decide where she will attend college, she is currently being recruited by many schools and hopes to make a commitment soon.

“I would love to play in college tennis, but as of right now, I haven’t decided where I want to go,” Pinsky said.