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Over the last four years the school's tennis courts have been where Narendran has experienced it all, including triumph, blood, sweat and tears.

These are the courts that helped shape his high school tennis career, leading him to two state championships and becoming the No. 2 boys tennis player in the .

There’s no other place Narendran would rather be.

“Just the ability to go out and compete, I think that's my favorite thing about it (tennis),� he said. “Whether it be a match, a tournament or just normal practices. I just really enjoy being able to go out on the court and just do the best I can.�

So far this season, as of press time, Narendran is undefeated (2-0) in singles and (1-0) in doubles. The team as a whole is currently 2-0, winning its first two matches of the season against Mountain View Marana and Salpointe Catholic, 9-0.

Rincon/University takes on undefeated Catalina Foothills on Tuesday.

While it’s still early in the season, Narendran is already excited for the state tournament and the possibility of going three-for-three in the state championship.

“I’d definitely like to, if I could, God given everything works out,� he said. “It'd be pretty special. But right now, I think I just want the team to have a good regular season and then once we make it to the state tournament, I think just playing one match at a time and hopefully getting the chance to do a three-peat would be pretty awesome.�

The annual tournament to end the season is one of Narendran’s favorite high school events of the year.

“Seeing all the best high school athletes, high school tennis players together, balancing both their academics and their athletics, is pretty special,� he said. “And so, as far as high school tennis goes, that tournament means the most to me. And I think that's the goal, make it there again and see what I can do.�

Tennis is more than a high school sport to Narendran, though. Outside of University High School, he competes in USTA tournaments and even competed in the USTA Boys' 16 & 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this past summer for the first time.

He had his eyes set on the national championship tournament since the beginning of last year and says making that moment a reality was surreal to him.

“Arguably, I would say, in my opinion, it is the biggest junior tournament in the world, because if you win, you get to go to the U.S. Open,� he said. “And so the best players in the country are going to be at this tournament. Every single college coach in the country is going to be at this tournament. So just to have the opportunity to get to compete with these guys and play on the same courts where you have guys like Colton Smith, Ben Shelton, Andy Roddick, all the former United States juniors playing on these courts was unbelievable. So, it really meant a lot to me to have that experience.�

Now, Narendran is going international. Well, actually, international is coming to him.

By the time this story is in your hands, the 17-year-old will have competed in the International Tennis Federation’s J300 tournament at the Tucson Racquet & Fitness Club on Monday.

For the last few weeks, Narendran has been “all in� on training and focusing on this tournament, he says.

“That's a really big tournament. It's all the best junior players from all over the world are going to be there and I've been lucky enough to have a wild card awarded to me,� he said, adding, “I know it's going to be a challenge, but I'm super excited. Kind of like with Kalamazoo, to have an opportunity like that. So, regardless of what happens, just to be able to play a match that big, especially in Tucson, is pretty awesome.�

All in the family

Narendran comes from a family of tennis players.

His dad, Naren Shanmugavelu, has played tennis since before he immigrated to the U.S. from India.

His older sister, Tanvi Narendran, currently plays tennis for the University of Arizona. She also attended University High School, and was a five-star recruit for the Wildcats.

At the time of her commitment in the fall of 2021, Tanvi Narendran was ranked No. 2 in the state, just like her little brother is now.

“It means the world to me, especially, coming from my dad's background, just being able to have all three of us share something in common and something so deep, it's amazing,� Narendran said. “Every time we go out to dinner or just hanging out with my family at home, all of us are talking about it. We follow all the grand slams and professional events. . . . My mom, dad and I can all go to the matches and all follow along with her (Tanvi). And so it's a pretty cool experience. I'm really lucky to have it.�

Both Narendran siblings began playing tennis when they were each 7 years old.

At first, tennis was more of an exploratory thing for Narendran, he says, following in the steps of his family. But as time went on, his relationship with the sport blossomed.

“I started loving it more and more with each day that I do it,� he said.

With a decade of experience under his belt, Narendran’s “tennis game speaks for itself,� said Bronson Cudgel, Rincon/University boys’ tennis coach.

“He has always had (something) that has set him aside, his work ethic and his confidence,� Cudgel said. “I've never really seen him get down on himself. He accepts defeat really well and he uses it as a motivator to improve on his game. In addition to his confidence, I want to also include humility, because he's a team player. He's always been very respectful, just a nice guy. He's got great energy.

“And so for me, it's always been kind of a great time to be around him, because you can feel his energy and he has a work ethic that I haven't seen in many athletes in any sport. He puts in the time and the effort. I mean, when I say time and effort, I'm talking two or three sessions a day, oftentimes four hours, five hours in a day, outside the classroom, because obviously he excels there at University as well.�

Outside of tennis, Narendran spends just as much time working on becoming the best in all aspects of life. In school, he maintains a 4.0 GPA and has received numerous academic awards from his school and district.

And when he’s not sitting at a desk in school, you’ll find him sitting on a piano bench. In his spare time, he plays piano for the Tucson Music Teachers Association’s piano ensemble. Narendran and his sister have both played the instrument since they were kids.

It was important for the Narendran siblings to choose a sport and an instrument to play, he remembers his mom telling them while they were growing up.

Although Narendran has a tight daily and weekly schedule, he still tries to find time to do things that he enjoys outside of sports, like fishing at Rose Canyon Lake on Mount Lemmon.

Balancing tennis, piano and free time can be challenging at times, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

After Narendran graduates this spring, he aspires to go to college and possibly study finance. But before starting his collegiate journey, he wants to explore taking a gap year to “play a little more tennis,� he says.

“If I could play tennis professionally, that would be my dream. Man, it's really difficult. I know not a lot of people can do it, but it's something I'd like to pursue,� he said. “If there's any sort of chance that I could do it. I 100% want to take it and I want to see where it can go.�

While making a name for yourself on the pro circuit can be difficult, Narendran has the foundation, support and drive to make it happen.

“He's literally a college player already playing in high school,� Cudgel said. “The sacrifices that he's made and his maturity level going from a freshman to a senior and how you conduct yourself, and the things that you do, your mannerisms and all that, he just seems like a mature adult now. He doesn't seem like a freshman boy that I'm coaching. He seems like a man standing next to me who's going to be successful.�

Fast Five with Vikram

Who is your tennis idol?

My favorite tennis player is Colton Smith. He's a good friend of mine. He played college tennis at the University of Arizona and now he's pursuing tennis professionally and so I really look up to him. I have for a while, and he's a great person all around. And so I kind of try to model myself after him in a lot of ways.

What’s a must-have item in your tennis bag?

My must-have item is probably my towel. It's kind of like my safety blanket. I always have it with me. If I don't have it, I don't know if I'd really play my best tennis. That towel has been through a lot with me. I've had it from the very start and stuff. I always try to keep it with me. It's always on the court.

What advice would you give to younger, aspiring tennis players?

I think the biggest thing I could say is you have to have fun. And if you're not having fun, I think you should probably make a (change), whatever it is, whether it's tennis, whether it's piano, whether it's fishing, whatever it is that somebody wants to do, I think the biggest thing is just enjoying it and loving it. And every day, just being able to look forward to it and think about it and just have a big old smile across your face.

What’s your favorite song to play on the piano?

I used to play the “YMCA� and that was really fun. I think a lot of people recognized it. Even though it wasn't the most challenging in pieces, it was always fun to play for myself and fun to play for others. Everybody likes to listen to it.

What’s your current favorite class?

Probably AP Calculus. It's really challenging, but my teacher is awesome. She's been amazing and really helped me learn a lot and challenge myself.