Northern Junior National Number One

I started trying to hit tennis balls when I was one; I could barely walk. When I was two, I started playing and hit balls against our porch glass door, which I still do today. I made my first YouTube video when I was three years old titled “Max Practices Tennis.”  That video got over 60,000 views.

At four, I won my first tournament - the Mini Mo in Chicago and I started to go to InnerCity Tennis to volunteer and play on Super Saturdays which I still do today. We made another “Max Practices Tennis” video when I was four and, as of now, has over 500,000 views.

Another year went by just playing and having fun (playing some basketball too) and we made another YouTube video with the Gophers. That was the year I was asked to sign my first autograph on a tennis bag and the year I started playing team tennis in Shakopee. When I was six, we went to the US Open because my brother, Alex, won the Arthur Ashe essay contest and we made a video with Sloane Stephens and Dmitry Tursunov.

 At seven years old, I also won a 14s Doubles Level 6 with Brooks Allen and my Shakopee Wildcats Team tennis won the Titanium Bracket at Sections. My sister Isabelle moved to Florida to train full time with Bill Adams when I was nine; that year, I won the Section Level 3 for 12 and under and I became #1 in the section. This allowed me to qualify for national tournaments across the US and get good experience.

At 10, my brother Alex went to play Division 1 at the University of Northern Colorado and that was the year we developed my “Max” logo. I also started traveling to camps in California and Oklahoma and won a Section Level 4 14s singles title. The next year, I won the Arthur Ashe Essay for the Northern Section. I won the Level 2 12s in Alabama and then the 14s Section Level 3.  I won my first ball, a gold ball in Clay Court doubles in Orlando and a silver ball at Hardcourts in Alabama. I also picked up my first singles ball in Winter Nationals in Arizona (silver) and won another a silver in doubles. I also made a video for Wilson’s new racquet, the Clash, and trained in Alabama, California, Florida, New York and Ohio.

Since turning 12 in March, I won a bronze ball in doubles at the Easter Bowl in California, I repeated my Level 2 singles win in Mobile, AL, and won doubles in June. I repeated as National Doubles Champion at the Clay Court Championships with a gold ball in Orlando in July and I won my first National Championship in singles with a gold ball at Hardcourts in Alabama and I repeated as doubles runner up with a silver ball in August.

With that singles gold, I became #1 in the nation! I also opened up an online store selling merchandise branded with my “Max” logo. It’s taken a bunch of hard work and determination but I still love the game. Now I’m doing online school and have stopped playing traveling basketball - I’m going to focus on tennis more. I’m on the road a lot - usually twice a month - but when I’m in Minnesota you can catch me at InnerCity Tennis or the Shakopee High School courts working on my game.

I want to thank my family, my brother, Alex, and sister, Isabelle, John and Ben Wheaton and the entire Wheaton family, the Goldammers and the Bill Adams International Tennis Academy. All of these people have been very important to help me be the best I can be in tennis and in life.