Emerey Gross Named Winner of Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award

The USTA announced that Emerey Gross of St. Louis and Dylan Tsoi of El Dorado Hills, Calif., were named winners of the USTA Bill Talbert Junior Sportsmanship Award.

Gross, 15, is a rising high school sophomore who, as a freshman at St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis, was named one of the Top 25 high school tennis players in the country. She helped lead St. Joseph’s to a team state championship and also won the state doubles title. Gross is ranked as one of the top 16-and-under players in the country and is now enrolled at the renowned IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. She has had impressive showings at a number of USTA national junior tournaments and has also been recognized for her outstanding sportsmanship. She won a USTA St. Louis Sportsmanship Award and Missouri Athletic Club’s MVP/Sportsmanship Award, while coaches all point towards her consistently positive attitude on the court and her respect for her teammates, opponents and officials. 

She takes immense pride in her sportsmanship and overall behavior on the court.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the USTA at the National level, especially for showing good sportsmanship. I have so much respect for the game of tennis and its players," Gross said. "I try to be kind and respectful to all my opponents and take responsibility for my performance on the court, whether I win or lose. This award means so much to me because it reflects on me as a person."

“Emerey and Dylan are incredible tennis players, both on and off the court,” said Craig Morris, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “They both epitomize what great sportsmanship is all about and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for them.”

Each award winner must be a junior player who exemplifies the finest qualities of sportsmanship in tournament play as well as one who maintains the finest traditions of the great sportsmen/women of tennis, past and present. The award is given in honor of 1967 Hall of Famer Bill Talbert, who was highly regarded for his high standards of sportsmanship and is presented in conjunction with the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Gross and Tsoi were presented with their awards at the USTA National Championships taking place in San Diego and Kalamazoo, Mich., respectively.