Intermountain / Colorado

HighFIVE: Lucas Celechovsky

Rachel Morley | April 28, 2023


 

Twelve-year-old Lucas Celechovsky is quietly determined to become a force to be reckoned with on the national stage

 

As a 3 ½-year old, Lucas Celechovsky would tag along to the tennis courts when his parents, both avid tennis players, were introducing his 5-year old sister to the game. Lucas tried hitting a few balls, fell in love with the sport, and hasn’t stopped smacking winners since.

 

Now 12, and a 6th grader at Dennison Elementary in Lakewood, Lucas is currently ranked no. 1 in both Colorado and Intermountain and no. 44 nationally in boys 12 and under. While Lucas’s game obviously speaks for itself with his results, perhaps even more impressive is the mature approach he takes towards tennis and becoming a better player. 

 

He says, “The thing that I like most about tennis is just the sound of the ball off the strings, the fact that you have to read and adapt to your opponent’s style of play and that it is not over until the last point.”

 

Yaz Tavatli, National Tennis Manager for Lifetime, oversees the tennis academy where Lucas has been training for the past few years. Tavatli speaks highly to the desire and commitment that Lucas has towards tennis. 

“His passion for tennis, openness to listening to his coaches, and his determination to compete are exemplary,” says Tavatli. “I look forward to seeing him develop further and be able to compete at the collegiate level.”

 

Lucas’s success has allowed him to play tournaments all around the country, but he particularly enjoyed playing at the Easter Bowl in Indian Wells last month. 

 

“It is a great feeling after you have worked so hard, and you succeed. You then want more of it. There’s the drive of wanting to improve when the competition is at a higher level than mine.” 

 

Getting to play against the best players from across the US at the Easter Bowl certainly gave Lucas this opportunity.

 

Lucas also trains at the Apex Tennis Center in Arvada where Luke Snyder, the Head Tennis Professional, has known him since he was around 5. 

 

“It has been a pleasure watching him grow from a soft-spoken child to an aspiring young man and tennis player. He has always had a quiet, but strong, work ethic and a desire to get better every time he steps on the court. It's been amazing to see him focusing on the process of becoming a national level player and I look forward to watching him grow over the next 5 years and see how far he can go!” says Snyder.

 

While Lucas plans to continue working towards potentially playing college tennis, he also likes playing piano, skiing and reading comic books. Lucas speaks fluent Czech and enjoys getting to play on red clay when visiting family in the Czech Republic.

 

And, just as it started, tennis is still very much a family activity for Lucas. “I am very lucky to have supportive parents and a sister, Nicole, who plays tennis at a highly competitive level as well. We often compete in the same tournaments. We practice together and challenge each other by playing tiebreakers.” 

 

“My goal with tennis is to keep challenging myself to see how good I can be,” says Lucas. With such high praise from coaches about his attitude and commitment at only 12, we think Lucas Celechovsky is definitely a name for Colorado tennis fans to keep on their radar!


MidFirst Bank is one of the largest privately owned banks and this combination of size and private ownership provides our customers with a special brand of banking. We are a strong supporter of the communities we serve, investing time and money in important educational, charitable and civic organizations. Our volunteerism is powered by our employees from all of the communities in which we live and share with our customers. MidFirst Bank is a proud partner of USTA Colorado.

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