As was the case with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Mert Oral eventually had to make a choice between soccer and tennis. After all, he grew up in a Turkish household which means that his father signed him up for competitive organzed soccer and also enrolled him in tennis lessons. Slow improvement meant slow appreciation for the game. Pretty soon he was immersed in TV and YouTube matches. He now looked forward to group lessons and was playing in USTA tournaments at age 8.

Mert also had the “advantage” of an older brother who routinely beat him. As former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes once said: “The best athletes I ever had were invariably the youngest of a bunch of brothers or who ran around with a bunch of athletic friends who were older.”                    

 

Kaan, two years older, provided plenty of humility but also toughened him up competitively. He beat his younger brother in three consecutive tournaments one summer, two semi-finals, and one final. Mert may not have been able to beat his older brother then but he surely wiped the court with other opponents.

 

Another advantage: growing up in Ann Arbor where there are not only superb tennis facilities but also excellent teaching pros, outstanding high school tennis traditions, and terrific inspirations in the form of watching U of M matches. Imagine working out with NCAA singles runner-up Dan Goldberg on a routine basis. Imagine taking games from Dan who played for U of M with teammate Malivai Washington.

 

Tennis became “a passion to the fullest extent” (his words). By the time he entered Ann Arbor Greenhills as a freshman, Mert had a Top 40 ranking in the USTA’s 14 and Under Division, having reached the quarterfinals of that national tournament. Even still, he played “only” 3S his freshman year behind a current varsity player at Case Western Reserve and his older brother. A first year athlete who “as a young, immature freshman was simply excited to finally represent my school,” he captured the first of his four state singles championships. The Gryphons captured the team title that year as well. A pretty heady start to a four-year high school athletic experience.

 

The rest is astounding history. In four years, Mert won four state championships, the latter three at 1S. His accumulated record is 125-7 against top competition in all divisions. Four of his losses came from future MHSTeCA  Mr. Tennis award winners. He dropped only one match his freshman year, and then a mere five his sophomore year, when he topped the lineup of the best team in Greenhills School history. These kids ran away with the state championship, capturing 39 of 40 points. Not to be outdone in dominance, Mert dropped only eight total games on his way to a second individual state championship.

 

By the time he was a junior, it wasn’t even close. Yes, he lost his first match to current MSU player Josh Portnoy, but then didn’t lose a set the rest of the season. He was elected captain that year as well (highly unusual  for a non-senior at Greenhills) and added his third state title, this time dropping a total of only three games on that championship run.

 

As captain once again, Mert finished his senior year by going undefeated: 23-0. He didn’t lose a set the entire season, turned back the top players in all divisions, and brought home his fourth individual state championship.

 

A prima donna on a cocky team? Not. “From the minute he showed up for his first varsity tryout as a freshman, Mert was the hardest working player on the court,” says Coach Eric Gajar. “Every drill got his full effort, he routinely finished at the front of the pack during our conditioning runs, and everyone wanted to be on the court with him.”

 

“I have also had the pleasure of teaching Mert this year,” continues Eric. “He is equally talented and dedicated in his studies, currently carrying a 4.03 GPA despite an extremely challenging course load. Like on court, he comes to class prepared and is fully engaged in his learning every day. The class is better for having Mert as a part of it.”

 

Eric describes Mert as “a once-in-a-coaches career student athlete.” He will join last year’s Mr Tennis, Will Cooksey of University Liggett, on Adam Steinberg’s U of M team next year.