In November 2022, senior Evan Burnett committed to play Division I tennis at the University of Texas at Austin.
Burnett began playing tennis around the age of six. “My dad taught me when I was young, but I chose to really start focusing on it. That was my decision,” Burnett said.
Burnett played other sports through middle school but decided to devote all of his attention to tennis when he got to high school.
Burnett has played for Menlo’s varsity tennis team since the spring of freshman year. “When he was a freshman playing these older kids, they would try to get in his head, and he would just fight back and then he would kind of look at them with a strange, like, ‘Don’t mess with me’ kind of attitude,” Head Tennis Coach Bill Shine said.
Burnett first visited UT Austin in September 2022 and loved the school. “I had a great visit the weekend I went to Texas,” Burnett said. “I really like the coaches and the facilities, and I just had a really good time and really good feeling when I went.”
Burnett will be graduating high school early and beginning at UT Austin for the spring semester. He will redshirt this upcoming season, meaning he will train with the team, but not participate in any matches. The season will allow him to get used to working with the team and coaches so that he can be better prepared to contribute to the team during his freshman season. “It was a super hard decision. Obviously, I don’t want to miss second semester senior year, but I think it was probably the best decision for me and my future,” Burnett said.
This summer, Burnett played in a match in the ATP Challenger Tour which allowed him to have a pro ranking. “It was a very fun and super unexpected thing that kind of just happened to me, and it was an amazing experience to have,” Burnett said. “I was super lucky to be able to do it. I got in the night before the tournament, so I’m super, super grateful for the experience.”
While Shine is sad to see Burnett leave, he’s proud of him and grateful for all he has done for the Menlo tennis program. “You know, I think that he’s a once-in-a-generation kind of player. And I’ve had a lot of them since I’ve been here, but he’s right up there at the top,” Shine said. “He’s gonna do some good things in college, so I’m really happy for him.”
