6 min read
Tristan Boyer (UTR Rating 13.90) is gearing up for his sophomore dual season at Stanford and he’s got a lot of great momentum. In the latter half of 2021, the 20-year-old won two UTR Pro Tennis Tour titles, reached his first ITF M25 final, and became one of Universal Tennis’ first-ever Collegiate Ambassadors.
Becoming an Ambassador
Boyer is one of four Ambassadors, alongside UCLA’s Taylor Johnson, Texas’ Peyton Stearns, and Auburn’s Carolyn Ansari. The program launched in December and Boyer will be promoting Universal Tennis initiatives while being at the forefront of the new Paid Hits program, which connects people of all levels who are willing to pay to hit with elite players.
“I like what Universal Tennis has been doing with tournaments and the UTR Rating system is really great for tennis,” Boyer said. “Universal Tennis is doing very good things for the sport that I love. When I was offered a chance to be part of Universal Tennis I was very happy to do it.”
Boyer was one of the first college players to start doing Paid Hits and he has been hitting with players of all levels at the Taube Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
“It’s great,” he said. “I can set the time whenever I want and people just sign up. It’s flexible and the payment was really easy.”
His efforts on and off the court will align directly with Universal Tennis’ mission to grow the sport by connecting players globally through level-based play, innovative events, and a digital marketplace. It helps that he’s already incredibly familiar with all that Universal Tennis has to offer.
“UTR Rating was a reasonably big deal my last couple years of junior tennis,” Boyer said. “I always focus on just improving my tennis but UTR Rating helps to gauge my level.”
Getting the Most out of Universal Tennis Events
During the height of the pandemic in 2020, he found ways to prepare for Stanford by winning the prize money UTR College National Championships in San Diego. In 2021, he enjoyed great success on the UTR Pro Tennis Tour by winning two back-to-back titles in Newport Beach. He has played a total of five PTT events, compiling a 22-4 record, and is currently ranked No. 514 in the PTT rankings.
“I had been injured at the beginning of the summer and I was going to try to play ITF Futures but because I got hurt, it wasn't going to be wasn't worth it to travel for just two or three weeks, so I decided to stay in California,” Boyer said. “UTR PTT are good events that pay a lot. They had live streaming for the matches and umpires on every court. They were well-run tournaments and I had fun.”
Embracing College Before the Pro Tour
With the pandemic impacting the start of Boyer's college career, Stanford had switched to online classes. Going virtual wasn’t a problem for him after he was homeschooled during high school.
Online schooling was necessary to balance his busy junior travel schedule. He was inside the Top 10 of the ITF Junior rankings in 2018 and competed in all four junior Grand Slams. Despite the early success, the 20-year-old always had college in his sights.
“I was always thinking that I was gonna go to college,” Boyer said. “I was considering going for just for one year, but once I committed to Stanford I had to go for two years.”
During the fall of 2021, he managed to squeeze in some professional tournaments and made a run to the final of an M25 in Calabasas, Calif. It was his first ITF event in almost a year and first ITF final ever. Boyer then headed to Argentina for a training block before returning to Stanford for his second dual season with the Cardinals.
Boyer’s college resume is highlighted by clinching the 2021 season Pac-12 league championships for Stanford. He’s played mostly at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions, but won a match at the No. 2 spot and has already led the team at No. 1 once. In the classroom, he’s busy majoring in mechanical engineering.
“My mom went to Stanford so that was always one that was high on my list,” Boyer said. “I was impressed with the quality of the school and the quality of the academics. The tennis is top quality as well so it wasn't like I was going somewhere where I wasn't going to improve. For the rest of your life, Stanford is a really good decision.”
Keep up with Boyer on UniversalTennis.com or by downloading the new mobile app.
•UTR Ratings and Rankings as of Jan. 6, 2022.