Player Spotlight: Jeff Cannon

Jeff Cannon had all but given up tennis after playing in high school and sparingly in college until about four years ago at a dinner at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward. One of the others at the table mentioned that there were Saturday drop-ins for tennis. 

“I came out, and I was instantly hooked again,” Cannon said. 

Four years later, Cannon has progressed all the way to NTRP Nationals, where he played doubles with Scott Powers in the Gold 3.0 division, placing third. 

“Nothing fills you with more adrenaline than having the opportunity to play in Nationals with the opportunity to earn a National Championship,” he said. “It would be the pinnacle of most tennis players' lives.  It's not just any tournament, it's the tournament."

After qualifying for Nationals in 2019, the 2020 NTRP event was canceled due to the pandemic, which put a damper on their National goals. 

"My partner and I waited nearly two years for the opportunity to prove ourselves. We put in a lot of practice, paid for a lot of lessons and clinics to hone our games, and at the end of the day, even though we didn't win, it was (hopefully not) a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. 

Cannon is also an Adult Leagues player, which is how he was reintroduced to tennis and it was wanting to improve for the sake of the team that spurred him on. 

“I love the Adult Leagues,” Cannon said. “It's team tennis and it's fun to play with different partners and against guys and gals from the surrounding areas. It's a huge motivation for me to help the team to make playoffs, sectionals and nationals. In team tennis, it's not just about how you played, but especially in doubles, it's how the team played and how you played together with your partners.”

Playing tournaments in addition to Leagues gives him a great balance between individual and team tennis.

“Usually, there are people who play leagues, and people who play tournaments,” he explained. “I like doing both when the league schedule allows me to take a weekend off to play tournaments. Success in tournaments is highly dependent on your individual play.  If you don't play well, you won't advance. Often, you find that playing styles are different for those who play in leagues and those who play in tournaments. Tournaments also give you the chance to travel to different parts of Northern California, so you can almost turn them into a mini vacation.”