Constantly taking initiative to lend a helping hand, one junior player has gone above and beyond during his time in the Southern California section, surpassing expectations while working to make a difference in his community and the sport he loves so much. 

A SoCal resident all his life, Tristan Pham was born in October of 2006 in Newport Beach, the place he still calls home today. The youngest of three siblings, Tristan has formed close bonds with his brother, Kyle, and sister, Lena, both of which share similar passions for tennis. With tennis a favorite within the Pham household, Tristan first picked up a racquet at just three years old. Driven by his brother’s passion for the sport, he decided to test his own skills on the junior circuit, where Kyle was already making a mark. He began by participating in junior clinics at Irvine’s Turtle Rock Tennis Park and gradually progressed to competitive play from then on. By the age of seven, Tristan had joined his first Junior Team Tennis league, and at ten years old, had competed in his first tournament. 

“My whole family is a tennis family,” stated Tristan. “My brother went the junior tennis route, as well as playing college tennis at Southern Methodist University. Both my parents play even more, recreationally as well as participating in USTA adult leagues as captains. Even my sister, who is a singer and actress, played tennis throughout her life and was on the varsity team all through high school. Even on vacation, we play clinics together. We have all tried other sports, with my siblings and I having played soccer, golf, baseball and even swam, but ultimately settled upon tennis.”

In the vibrant landscape of junior tennis in SoCal, Tristan has discovered a second home among his peers, who have become friends. He relishes both the triumphs and challenges of the sport, thriving in the competitive environment it fosters.

“I enjoy mostly the competition, the personal growth, and the friends along the way,” Tristan mentioned. “Growing up in SoCal, there has been so much competition and opportunities. Everyone as a junior wants to improve, and having friends and players around me that have pushed me to get better is one of the greatest aspects of junior tennis. I will always cherish the friendships I have made through my academy, tournaments and teams as they will always be part of my life.”

As Tristan has grown older and found success on the court at both the junior and high school levels, he has also begun to make a massive impact off of it. Currently a rising senior at Corona del Mar High School, Tristan has continued his dedication to tennis as a member of CDM’s varsity team, following in his older brother’s footsteps. Over the past two years, Tristan has deepened his involvement in the sport by engaging directly with USTA SoCal.

In August of 2022, he joined the Junior Sportsmanship Committee, which is a group of peers within the SoCal section working to remind players and parents of the importance that sportsmanship plays in youth tennis. After developing an innovative idea that would eventually become the Junior Sportsmanship Portal, it seemed to be a no-brainer that Tristan could be a major asset to the section in providing insight on how he thinks sportsmanship can be improved throughout the junior circuit. A program designed specifically for junior tennis players, the Junior Sportsmanship Portal features lessons including quizzes, videos, and other content intended to increase players’ understanding of sportsmanship. More than just these courses, the program provides resources of important USTA documents and guidelines that players should be aware of before competing. Created initially for use in Southern California, the program has garnered attention from USTA’s National office, where they are in talks of taking after Tristan’s idea and creating a similar course of their own. 

“My nature is to solve problems and I see juniors’ sportsmanship as a challenge,” Tristan said. “I was first inspired primarily through high school tennis as well as junior tournaments. While many kids have shown some misconduct or poor behavior in the past, I believe most of that came from either being taught the wrong way or a lack of information. Many parents as well, when I grew up as a junior, have been caught with terrible sportsmanship or even cheating. My friend, Steve Riggs, introduced me to Dianne Matias, USTA SoCal Director of Junior Tennis, and I bounced the idea off her. She liked it and, in turn, brought me onto the committee. So, during the late summer of 2022, I proposed the idea for a Junior Sportsmanship Portal (I had created a website to present to the committee), where players and parents could learn and better themselves for them and our community, and the committee was excited to use my idea.”

The only junior member involved with the committee, Tristan is invaluable to the progress and changes that are being implemented in the section, helping provide a player’s perspective on ways that junior tennis can be elevated in SoCal. In addition, Tristan also  provides direct feedback on how the committee’s ideas have been perceived from his colleagues, following his time competing. Tristan was also an integral part of the creation and application of the Ultimate Sportsmanship Challenge, a contest taking place from May of this year until February of the next. In this challenge, USTA Southern California uses Match Tennis App to promote good behavior from players during tournaments, rewarding players upon nomination from their peers who display exemplary sportsmanship. The ultimate goal of the challenge is to help create a more respectful and enjoyable experience for all tournament participants.

“My favorite part of being on the committee is being able to give back to tennis,” shared Tristan. “As someone who has played tennis his whole life, I’m indebted to the sport. I was fortunate to have worked on the Sportsmanship Challenge and seeing it be well received is rewarding. Being able to better the junior tennis community and make it a friendlier, healthier environment is my favorite part. I’ve also enjoyed the new friendships I made on the committee. All the adults have been supportive in my journey and have been respectful towards me and my ideas.”

Demonstrating the importance of sportsmanship not just at the junior level, but at all ages, Tristan had the opportunity to interview some of the top players on tour at the 2023 Dallas Open, regarding their views on sportsmanship. A success in both his tennis and scholastic circles, he was recently awarded first place in an area-wide PTA Reflections contest for a video he created on his interviews. A majority of Tristan’s work as well as this video can be found on the USTA sportsmanship website he created. 

Continuing to go above and beyond, Tristan has not stopped at just sportsmanship. Most recently, he has shifted his focus to another area that is in dire need of assistance in SoCal, officiating. 

“Currently, I am also working with Ken Grassel, the Officiating Growth Manager for USTA SoCal, to create an internship for fellow juniors for a referee program,” added Tristan. “Ken and I both believe there is a lack of officials for tournaments, major and smaller ones as well. We are working to create a program where juniors can become certified after a guided program then put it to use in local officiating.”

Now seventeen years old, Tristan has spent the last decade growing as both a player and a person, improving his skills and discovering his passions. Academically, Tristan has dedicated himself to his studies, while having created a keen interest in coding, web development, and the future of AI. Outside of his academic and athletic pursuits, Tristan enjoys socializing with friends, dining out, solving escape room challenges, and playing chess and video games. In the middle of college applications at the moment, Tristan looks to major in a STEM-related field at university. While he understands that some levels of college tennis may be out of his reach, Tristan aims to stay connected to the sport and plans on participating in Tennis On Campus and continuing to play after high school. With a knack for helping others, Tristan looks forward to  opportunities where he can continue to solve problems through his work. 

“I enjoy the precision and problem solving process of coding, as well as the result of being able to create a functioning finished project that can serve a further usage,” Tristan discussed. “The ability to create a solution to aid a problem or benefit others out of typing on a computer is my favorite part of coding.”

Even now, Tristan has begun to implement his knowledge to solve problems, tackling an issue that hits particularly close to home for him. Living with nerve eye palsy, Tristan’s vision has always been impaired. Causing his right iris to occasionally drift upwards, the palsy created a double vision and head tilt for Tristan, making tennis and every day activities more difficult for him than others. Having lived with the palsy his entire life, Tristan had adapted to its challenges, however, underwent surgery a year ago after finally receiving a formal diagnosis. Now, Tristan is working diligently to help others with similar conditions in identifying their palsy, faster than he did.

“I am still adjusting to my new eye sight, but I am currently working on a medical device to help kids like me get diagnosed sooner,” Tristan shared. “I am a problem solver, and as my disability had gone unnoticed even by doctors for years, I now have a patent pending medical device that will aid doctors during eye exams that keeps patients’ heads straight so it is easier to notice the head and eye tilt to then be diagnosed.”

As he prepares for college next year, Tristan can take pride in knowing that his efforts will benefit countless junior tennis players and their families for years to come. A remarkable individual who continually challenges the norm to make a positive difference, Tristan exemplifies what it truly means to be a man of character, both in tennis and in life.