Manhattan Beach Teen Named To National Tennis Leadership Team

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – Jack Pulliam, an 18-year-old from Manhattan Beach, was named to the third annual United States Tennis Association (USTA) Junior Leadership Team, which recognizes the country's best junior tennis players who exhibit leadership, sportsmanship and character on and off the court, the USTA announced Monday.

Pulliam is one of more than 30 players nationwide named to the USTA Junior Leadership Team; each player was nominated by his or her USTA Section for their excellence in tennis and in the community, according to the press release.

Pulliam has been ranked in the Top 40 of the USTA Boys 18s national standings and as the No. 1 Boys 18s doubles player in Southern California. He’s set to play college tennis at Texas A&M in the fall and has won a number of singles and doubles titles at USTA national junior tournaments, according to the press release. Pulliam has also been a doubles champion at two ITF international junior tournaments. Other accolades include sportsmanship awards at the USTA National Winter Championships and at the Southern California Men’s Sectional Championships, according to the press release.

Tennis has given Pulliam so many different opportunities, he said, including meeting different people while traveling to play. Through his experiences, he's gained an "important perspective" on what sportsmanship is, and why it's so important, he said.

When Pulliam was 14, he traveled to Southeast Asia in 2013 to play in some of his first ITF tournaments. In between games, he was able to walk around downtown Manila, where he saw what poverty looked like and how different lifestyles are in different parts of the world, he said.

"That experience was absolutely eye-opening. My whole mentality and outlook on life changed," he said. "I became much more thankful, and grateful for the opportunities that I have each day here. I realized that tennis is not just a sport that I am able to play, but a privilege that not everybody is blessed enough to get the chance to experience.

Every time he takes the court, he said he tries his best to conduct himself in a way that translates his thankfulness to be able to play tennis.

Each year, more than 120,000 players compete in USTA junior tournaments, in levels of competition through earned advancement in the 10s, 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s age divisions, the press release said.

“These players are our future leaders, and the values they’ve shown to embody both on the court and in the community are evidence that our future will be in good hands," Lew Brewer, the USTA’s Director of Junior Competition, said in a statement. “They are the perfect role models that represent our nationwide Net Generation efforts, and they truly deserve to be recognized with the USTA Junior Leadership Team.”

Photo courtesy of the United States Tennis Association