20th Anniversary: Kaleb Ngwendson
Kaleb Ngwendson is our 20th Anniversary Spotlight for August! The 15-year-old standout is currently ranked #12 in USTA Northern Boy’s 16 & under, and will be a sophomore at Eastview High School. Over five years ago, he and his dad stumbled upon our facility on a drive searching for courts, and we are so lucky they found us. Kaleb has consistently climbed the USTA Northern ranks and competed nationally in big events such as the Easter Bowl and Winter Super Nationals. In 2021, Kaleb won the USTA Foundation National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) Essay Contest. His essay was selected as the best in the country in the Boys 13-14 age division. This award included an all-expense paid trip to New York City in June where he visited the Big Apple for the first time! This week, Kaleb will be trying out for his high school football team and hopes to play wide receiver.
Q: How did you start playing tennis?
Kaleb: I started playing with my mom when I was 8, and she inspired me to start playing. I was introduced to Fred Wells when I was 9. There was one day my dad was driving us around looking for Fred Wells, but they didn’t have any open courts. So, then we came back another day, and my mom signed me up for classes.
Q: What is your earliest memory playing at FWTEC?
KN: I started with Clay in Ultra Stars and then moved up to 12U with Nguyen. I remember my first-time hitting with Clay. He pulled me aside personally and started working with me. There was this drill where he would put two dimes on each side of the court to try to hit them. I think we both hit it once.
Q: Do any of you have siblings, and do they play tennis?
KN: I have an older brother who is 17, and he plays basketball. My younger brother is 9, and he plays soccer. They play occasionally, and sometimes we play in the backyard.
Q: Who is your favorite professional tennis player?
KN: Roger Federer. He is so calm on court, and he seems so perfect.
Q: What is your biggest accomplishment?
KN: I’d say my run in the 2021 December Winter Nationals in Tuscan, Arizona. I made it to the round of 16. I beat the previous quarterfinalist in the second round and in the third round, I beat a top 50 player. I lost a close three-setter to the defending champion. It showed me I wasn’t that far off from big national players and helped to inspire me to keep working.
Q: What are your goals and dreams for the next 20 years?
KN: I haven’t thought that far out, but I do want to play college tennis at a Division-1 school. UCLA or USC would be my dream school.
Q: Tell us about your trip to New York, what were the highlights?
KN: It was a really good trip. It really helped my perspective of a big city. It was my first time in New York City. It’s so much different than anywhere in Minnesota. Our hotel was in Times Square. I loved the Yankees game and there was also a trip to the US Open Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. I couldn’t get over standing in the same place a professional tennis player trains and competes. We got to play on the practice courts and tour Arthur Ashe Stadium. There was traffic everywhere. Props to our bus driver for getting a big bus through it all.