HighFIVE: Lucy Lu

The following HighFIVE profile appears in the 2017 Summer issue of Colorado Tennis newspaper.

Lucy Lu

There’s something unique about incoming Niwot High School freshman, Lucy Lu. You’ll undoubtedly see it in her aggressive and uncommon style of play, sporting both a powerful two-handed forehand and backhand. But you’ll also see it in her persona, a mix of confidence, introspection and humbleness as she sets her sights on playing No. 1 singles and potentially winning the Colorado High School Girls 4A state title.

Stepping onto her first court at 7-years-old, Lucy said it was an older junior player, Amber Shen, who inspired her to pursue tennis. “She was a role model to me — I thought everything she did was perfect and I wanted to be like her.” She said since then it has been the consistent support of her parents, Brian and Yidi, combined with her hard work and competitive drive that have helped her achieve the successes she’s had, as well as put herself in a position for a bright future both on and off the tennis court.

“You have to enjoy the game to be successful,” the 14-year-old says about her fundamental belief that the mental aspect of the game is crucial to long term success. She also said that she “loves to win, but hates to lose even more.” Her most recent sectional win was the 2016 G14 Summer Masters in Boulder. She also competed in the G16 draw at this year’s Intermountain Summer Sectional, rising from her unseeded position to finish 2nd.

Lucy looks to Latvian tennis professional, Jelena Ostapenko, to emulate. Ostapenko is known for her highly offensive playing style, including powerful inside-out groundstrokes and a tendency to aim for the lines. “I like her aggressive game,” Lucy said. She knows that this type of play comes with high risk and reward which matches her own on-court approach.

Lucy feels that she already has a good physical plan to get to the next level, but plans to focus her efforts on the mental side of the game as she dives into the world of high school tennis and beyond.

After high school, Lucy’s dream would be to play tennis at Stanford and study medicine. “I’d like to be a doctor someday,” she said of her goals beyond a tennis court. That well-rounded drive is admired by those close to Lucy, including her coach, Chad Tsuda.

Chad explains, “Lucy is a very hard working and dedicated student. She enjoys all challenges tennis has to offer. She has the attitude to go along with what it takes be a great player and look forward to seeing her progress!”  

A complete history of HighFIVE profiles can be found on the USTA Colorado website.

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