New York's Cooper Williams is the world's top-American junior tennis player and he's ready to take the Jr. U.S. Open by storm.
Born and raised in Manhattan, the 18-year-old tennis star says the Grand Slam in New York is his favorite.
Williams is currently ranked No. 3 in the world in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rankings -- an international ranking system for boys 18 and under. He won the 2023 Jr. Australian Open doubles title alongside partner Learner Tien but more recently had a remarkable run to the semifinals of singles at Jr. Wimbledon.
"Playing here means the most to me," Williams exclusively told NBC Local Sports on Saturday. "Some of my best friends are here. I went to St. Bernard's on 98th and 5th [school]. I've played everywhere -- Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon -- and I've had great results there and I'll never forget them. But playing here, it holds a special place in my heart."
While Williams lived in New York for the majority of his life, he moved to Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic to train at the USTA center in Orlando and with a coach in West Palm Beach.
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Despite having one of the biggest tournaments in the world in New York, the state is not known to be the most conducive to developing young talent due to high costs for court time and limited court time. Williams is one of the exceptions.
"I think when I grew up here, it was obviously not easy to get practice courts and stuff and that definitely gave me a sense of competitiveness," Williams said. "When I'm on the court for 90 minutes, I'm gonna make every minute count. So I think for young kids, or whoever's playing in New York, it's just an absolutely great opportunity to build mental toughness."
Looking forward to the near future, Williams is taking his talents to Harvard University where he hopes to develop his game both mentally and physically. Then he will put his efforts towards building a full-time ATP schedule as a professional.
"I think there's obviously a very noticeable level difference and just quality of ball between juniors and pros," Williams said. But also just mentality, I think maturity is a huge thing. I think you can definitely tell when someone's going to be good or get to the top level of junior tennis just based on how they compose themselves on the court."
But it's not just about having one or two good wins. The consistency week to week and always showing up mentally and physically are other characteristics that differentiate juniors from pros
Williams will take on Italy's Gabriele Vulpitta in the first round of the Jr. U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows on Sunday.
But why should you come out and watch Williams play?
"I don't know a lot of New Yorkers who have gotten to play the U.S. Open," he said. "I mean, I used to go like every year as a kid but if anyone likes tennis and wants to see a New Yorker go and try and win it [Jr. U.S. Open] then I would suggest you come out!"
