As spring rolls around, so does tennis season. If you’ve ever followed Cashmere Tennis, you most likely know about sophomore standout Albin Eskew. Eskew has already risen atop the SCAC as he brought home a district championship his freshman year. Eskew is a 15 year-old student at Cashmere High School who also happens to be one of the top 1A tennis players in Washington. Eskew is coming off of a season many high school tennis players dream of having. He went nearly perfect in the regular season, won districts, and placed 6th in state. AS A FRESHMAN! However, this success is not a coincidence, as Albin works extremely hard on and off the court.
Eskew started playing tennis at 6 years-old, but really got serious about it at 11-12. At 12 years old, he greatly improved his game and has been getting better ever since. A big reason for this success is Albin’s persistent mindset and discipline. Many young athletes look up to a certain pro for numerous reasons, and for Eskew, that’s Novak Djokovic. “I look up to Novak Djokovic because of his discipline and his passion for the game. Seeing him eat so healthy, and how hard he works really inspires me to be better and work harder everyday.”
This discipline beyond his years has helped Eskew tremendously with his on court training as well as his off court regimen which includes weight training, speed and agility training, and a healthy, high protein diet. Albin mainly trains at the Wrac in Wenatchee, where he has been able to take his game to the next level with high level coaches, high level playing partners, and an incredible amount of dedication.
With school taking up a majority of a high schooler’s day, it can seem difficult finding time to balance everything along with their training. However, Eskew has a very polished schedule that has worked for him and helped take him to the next level.
“On a school day, I wake up, get ready for school, and then go to school. After school, I go home for a little bit and then go to the Wrac where I play tennis from 4:00 – 5:30. After that, I go home, grab a snack, do some homework, and rest. Then at 7, I head back to the Wrac and play more tennis and hit the gym. Then at around 9, I head home, eat dinner and go to be.”
While this is a lot on Albin and takes a ton of dedication, it is also a lot for Albin’s mom. She drives him to nearly every training session and tournament and, ever since Albin got serious about tennis, she has been completely invested in helping Albin accomplish his goals. When asked about some of the sacrifices she’s made for Albin’s tennis career and how they have paid off, she said, “We’ve had to spend time away from the rest of the family, which is difficult. I try to look at the positives that come out of it.”
A big positive she talked about was Albin’s improved ability to work through challenges and to stay positive through it all. She would later go on to state, “My hope is that later in life, like with any skill that takes sacrifice, Albin will look at what tennis gave him and will use these lessons in his relationships and in whatever he chooses as a career.”
Though Albin is so accomplished and has improved so much in the last three years, he has had to overcome several setbacks that can really test a young athlete’s dedication to their sport. “My biggest setbacks have been matches that I know I could’ve won, but I lost”. These losses are so tough on an athlete mentally because it can make them question their own talent. Another big setback Eskew has faced is tennis elbow. He has battled it in the past, and it can be an extremely slow and frustrating road to recovery.
Through it all, Albin has been able to keep a level head and a positive mindset, which is essential for anyone trying to accomplish something, especially Eskew who has professional tennis aspirations. “My biggest motivation is having a goal in mind and working towards it.”
Albin’s ultimate goal is pro tennis. However, the path there will not be easy. There are over 350,000 high school tennis players, 20,000 college tennis players, and only around 2,000 professional men’s tennis players. Tennis is one of toughest sports to go professional in and, while there are 2,000 pros, only the top 300 have the pro experience many people assume all pros have. Another reason pro tennis is difficult is that pros come from all parts of the globe, whereas most other sports have a majority of their professionals come from one region. What separates Albin is his persistent mindset and his discipline. That, paired with his incredible tennis skill, will likely be a recipe for success.
After high school, Albin hopes to take a gap year to really focus on tennis and play a bunch of tournaments. In this time, he also hopes to work at the Wrac to save up money to help fund his future tennis costs. He then hopes to attend college, where he hopes to study physiology and business, as well as continue to play tennis. After college, he hopes to pursue the ATP tour and climb up the world tennis ranks.
Albin will continue his journey for the foreseeable future, and with his talent and discipline, great things are ahead.
