Senior Cooper Han first picked up a tennis racket when he was just three years old. In November 2023, he committed to play Division I tennis at Northwestern University. “Tennis has been a part of my life for my whole life,” Han said.
Han’s childhood was defined by athletics. His father was a collegiate tennis player at the University of Chicago, and Han grew up playing a plethora of sports. “I think at one point I was playing five or six sports at the same time,” Han said. “But as I got older, tennis was the one sport that I was best at [and] most serious about, so I continued to pursue that.”
When he was around 10 years old, Han began playing in individual tournaments. For most high-level tennis players, Han explained, individual competition is all that matters. According to him, most top youth tennis players don’t even compete on their high school teams. Han believes for that reason, his commitment to playing on the Menlo tennis team made him stand out. “[College] coaches do actually like the fact that I know how to play for a team,” he said.
Not only did Han’s time on the Menlo team help him in the recruitment process, he also deeply values his connections with his teammates. “The Menlo tennis team is kind of like a second family to me, especially the [other] seniors,” he said.
“Cooper has been one of the best teammates I could ask for,” junior Yuanye Ma, one of Han’s Menlo teammates, said. “He’s great at tennis and does a great job supporting all of us on and off the court.”
As it came time for Han to continue his tennis career in college, he was confident about his chances. “I would say I was a pretty high recruit, most coaches were interested in me,” Han said.
He visited Brown University, the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University before committing to Northwestern. Han was drawn to Northwestern’s tennis program, campus and academics. “That was really big for me, I was definitely looking for a top academic school,” Han said. “A lot of kids go for just tennis; I don’t want to be one of those kids.”
