Boys Tennis

Coach Tom Hunt

A graduate of Syracuse University, Tom Hunt has been coaching tennis for more than thirty years and has served as head coach of the Kent Boys’ Varsity Tennis Team since 2012.

Growing up in the Boston area, Coach Hunt was coached by the legendary Arnie Brown. As a junior on the USTA circuit, he competed against Tim Mayotte, Brad Gilbert, Mike Leach, and other future pros. He was ranked as high as #15 in singles #1 in doubles in New England. He played number #1 singles for perennial powerhouse Dover-Sherborn, losing only one match in his high school career.

Coach Hunt feels fortunate to play and coach what he calls “the most beautiful sport in the world at one of the prettiest boarding schools in New England.” After spending the first half of his day teaching Shakespeare, Austin, and Ishiguro in the classroom, Coach Hunt always looks forward to his spring afternoons on the tennis courts. He sees coaching as an extension of his teaching. “My favorite part of the job,” he says, “is developing young players and watching their confidence grow as the season progresses.” Practices include a mix of conditioning, drills, one-on-one instruction, videotaping, ladder matches, and post-match reviews, so that players can learn from their victories and defeats in league competition.

Coach Hunt’s tennis idol growing up was the Swedish legend Bjorn Borg, whom Hunt describes as a “class act, a quietly competitive gentlemen who was always gracious in defeat and humble in victory.” Hunt expects his players to follow Borg’s example.
Throughout the season, Hunt gives his team basic principals to follow, some of which have been passed down like family heirlooms: “don’t beat yourself up,” “play harder than your opponent,” “play smarter than your opponent,” “hate to lose, but don’t fear losing,” “have a plan B,” and “attention is a gift.”

Coach Hunt believes that tennis builds character and that many of the habits players develop over the course of the season—giving their attention to what matters, getting outside their comfort zone, blocking out negative thoughts, taking responsibility for their defeats—are transferrable to other areas of their life.
 

Contact Coach Hunt