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JD Dickens was in middle school when he began wondering about his potential to play college tennis.

“But at that time, I didn't really know if I was going to be good enough,” Dickens said. “As I kept improving, it was always something I kept in the back of my mind. Then in my junior year, I realized it could be a real possibility for me.”

The three-star senior from Milton, Massachusetts moved one step closer to making it a reality by committing to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.

“I thought Lafayette had a beautiful campus and was an ideal distance from home,” he said. “The school is not too big, but not too small. And I thought the people there were really close, because the school doesn't have a large class. In terms of tennis, the coach was really chill and talked with me about my goals. So I knew he already valued me as a player on the team.”

Dickens followed his family into tennis. His mom, dad and older brother all played at Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center in Dorchester Center, Massachusetts. Dickens started attending a summer camp at age 5 and was soon playing nearly an hour a day.

“They have a really good program that brought me from red ball to orange to yellow, and now I am in the academy program to train for college,” Dickens said. “I’m actually the first player to go through all the stages of development and the plan that was created.”

Dickens briefly experimented with playing other sports, but never found anything that made him as happy as tennis.

“The individuality of the sport was the most intriguing to me,” he said. “Because I felt like when I was in sports like soccer or basketball, I was never contributing. I wasn't very good. But I think I also just like that in tennis it's all in your control.”

When he is away from the court, Dickens enjoys swimming and art. He has spent many years doing pottery and sculpting in his basement.

“As a little kid, I got a plastic wheel and really enjoyed it,” he said. “Once I got older, I got myself a really good one. I use it mainly to make vases and mugs.”

Dickens plans to study biology at Lafayette and wants to eventually attend medical school and become a doctor.

“I've always been interested in science and doing a service where people are helping people,” he said. “Combining those things with being a doctor just makes sense to me.”

Having his college decision secured has taken a weight off Dickens’ shoulders as he enters his senior year of high school.

“It’s very freeing, because before committing, I was always worried about my rating or if I was winning enough or my grades,” he said. “Now, I feel like I can really explore tennis outside the pressure of college tennis above me, and I'm really excited for how I can develop over the next year.”

Dickens has experienced what a team environment entails in tennis while playing for his high school. He’s eager to compete against higher-level players in a new environment like Lafayette once he arrives next fall.

“I think playing tournaments as a junior kind of alone can be stressful at times, and not as fun,” he said. “I feel like college, when you're on a team, it's gonna be a lot more energy and the atmosphere is a lot better. I'm just really excited for that.”

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About Rhiannon Potkey

Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories. Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches. Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You can reach Rhiannon by email at [email protected].