Tennis is a Game of Moments for Matt Jacobs

Matt Jacobs would be an old hand at high school tennis if he wasn’t so young.

As a freshman, this spring, he went 18-0 in the regular season for the Big Blue varsity and advanced in the state singles tournament, winning three matches. He lost to his friend Ethan Chen of Weston in a 10-point tie-breaker.

Matt also won the Player of the Year Award for the Northeast Conference Small division.

But listening to Matt talk tennis and school on a hot summer morning by the Swampscott Middle School courts he sounds less occupied with destinations and awards than with the journey that playing tennis affords.

“I like the moment,” he says, slapping the heal of his palm against his 11-ounce Babolet racket. “To create the big moment and decide what to do.”

He likes that tennis is a game of instincts and self-reliance. Your training and decisions mark your destiny.

Matt’s first steps to the court came when he was 8 or 9 on vacation with his family at the Balsams resort in New Hampshire.

He begged off hiking with his parents — neither of whom play tennis — to take a tennis lesson. The instructor saw promise in his play and Matt enjoyed the game.

The instructor set up further lessons for him at Bass River in Beverly and that led to lessons at the Manchester Athletic Club.

He’s been playing ever since.

He played his first high school varsity match as a 7th grader.

This summer he is playing against top talent at the Manchester club and traveling for tournaments in New England and beyond. He recently played in Philadelphia and has an upcoming tournament in St. Louis.

Tennis has taken him to places he might not have otherwise seen including Tucson, Arizona and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He has played soccer all along but tennis is his game. Performance rests on the player's actions, often of the split-second variety.

It’s not a game you want to over think, Matt says.

Matt has given some thought to his future.

He likes to work with younger kids and plans to volunteer at the Ford School in Lynn in the coming school year.

Favorite subjects include history, science and math.

He wants to go to college, to study and play tennis at a school with strong academics and a strong tennis program.

He likes hanging out with friends, watching movies and listening to pop music.

The last movie he saw was Transit. 

He likes comedies, one of which that comes to mind is Step Brothers with Will Ferrell.

And, yes, he likes tennis.

He doesn’t fall behind or lose often but when he does he seeks self control, to stay in control of his emotions and focused on what he is doing.

Tennis is a game of instincts and is often decided in the moment.