Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Cameron Ball

Barry Faulkner

In a sport that can fill stadiums with burned-out former phenoms,

Corona del Mar High senior Cameron Ball is a passionate poster boy for

the virtues of tennis.

So, after leading the Sea Kings to the team title of the CdM National

High School All-American Boys Team Tennis Invitational Saturday,

including a thrilling 8-7 (7-1 in the tiebreaker) singles triumph over

Stanford-bound James Pade from Menlo School in the final’s marquee

center-court matchup, Ball celebrated with a trip to his favorite burger

joint. He then rose early Sunday and headed for the court.

“I’m just as excited about the game as I’ve ever been and I think I’m

getting better each day,” said Ball, schooled from an early age by

father, Syd Ball, a former member of the Australian Davis Cup team who

played professionally for about a decade. “If you look at it the right

way, it shouldn’t wear you down. I get to play every day and I try to

play and practice as hard as I can. I think my attitude about the game is

the same as my attitude about life in general. I guess it is just how I

was brought up to think: You look at things with a positive perspective

and try to make the most out of every situation.”

Ball did just that Saturday, rescuing the Sea Kings with a steadfast

refusal to relent, after Pade charged back from a 7-4 deficit to force

the tiebreaker, then broke Ball to open the tiebreaker on top.

Even CdM Coach Tim Mang said things didn’t look good.

“Cameron was ahead, 7-4, then the tables started turning,” Mang said.

“(Pade) was winning some incredible points and caught up to Cameron. When

he tied it, 7-7, Some of us in the crowd looked at each other and thought

‘Uh-oh.’

“But after (Pade) broke on the first serve, Cameron won the next seven

points. It was one of the best matches I’ve ever seen. (Pade) was making

some incredible shots and Cameron was firing 125 mph serves at him. For

some reason, Cameron always plays the best players the toughest. When

other guys would have a tendency to be a little bit awed, he’s just out

there doing his job. We had some guys play incredibly well Saturday, but

Cameron was the one. He was the reason we won.”

The effort was typical for the 6-foot-2, 190-pound serve and volleying

powerhouse, whose rich background in the game gives him on-court

insulation from the pressurized atmosphere that gripped the Palisades

Tennis Club Saturday.

“Actually, I don’t think I was as nervous as half the people in the

crowd were,” Ball said. “The way I looked at it, it was just another

school match. I was just playing and having fun.”

Ball said he savors the challenge of top-flight competition, which he

receives frequently from his primary hitting partner, Mattias Johansson,

the Vanguard University men’s and women’s coach.

“Mattias is an animal,” Ball said. “He’s 31, but he never gets tired.”

Ball, too, never tires of working on his game, which he learned to

appreciate even further after a bout with mononucleosis last spring

limited his court time. It also likely contributed to a loss in the

Pacific Coast League singles final, which denied him the right to

continue in the CIF Southern Section individual tournament.

“I could play (through the illness, leading the Sea Kings to the CIF

Division V team crown), but I couldn’t play at 100%,” Ball recalled. “It

made me appreciate playing even more. Now, if I play for five hours and

I’m a little tired, I push myself to play another hour. You always have

something to learn in this game.”

Perhaps the most valuable lesson Ball has learned is to always focus

on the point at hand.

“I’ve played enough to know you don’t hang your head when things

aren’t going your way on the court,” Ball said. “My dad taught me to

never let your opponent know what you’re thinking. You just keep

fighting. When I was up, 7-4, (Pade) played three unbelievable games. It

was just a matter of hanging in and playing as hard as I could. I was

just out there trying for every single ball. There wasn’t much I could do

about some of the shots he was hitting.”

After finishing out the tiebreaker, Ball was mobbed on the court by

his teammates.

“That was unexpected,” Ball said of the impromptu celebration. “I was

a little scared at first. I thought it may have been some Menlo guys

trying to take me out.”

Ball said the victory over Pade and the All-American Invitational team

title rank atop his experiences in high school tennis. But he hopes to

close out his swan song prep season by winning another CIF team title,

and also collecting PCL and CIF titles in singles.

From there, he’ll head to college and continue building toward his

ultimate dream of playing professional tennis.

But that future is beyond his point of focus, which remains whoever is

facing him on the other side of the net.