Brentwood training partners Sean Karl, foreground, and Maxx Lipman, pictured during a doubles match a couple of years ago, are now ranked as the top two junior 16s players in the nation.

No. 1 vs. No. 2 almost squared off in BHS-RHS match

Corrected at 1:25 p.m. Friday
By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
The nation’s top two junior tennis players in the boys 16s age division not only live in the same city – Brentwood -- but also are daily training partners and best friends. They kept ending up at the same tournaments as little kids and their parents decided to have them start hitting together.

But Maxx Lipman, who took over his first USTA No. 1 national ranking in December, and Sean Karl, whose No. 2 is his highest national rating, attend two different public high schools in the ’burg. And area tennis enthusiasts almost had a treat in store yesterday when Lipman’s Brentwood team played Karl’s Ravenwood squad in a high school tennis match.

Brentwood High sophomore Maxx Lipman, pictured in a tournament a couple years back, is ranked No. 1 in the nation in juniors 16s but is sidelined by a back injury. (Photo courtesy Tammy Caballero).

Lipman, however, is out for most of his first – if not the entire – high school season after learning recently he reinjured a previous stress fracture in his back. He had to withdraw from the Orange Bowl international junior tournament, the event which actually vaulted him into the top ranking.

“We are 1 and 2 which is amazing -- pretty crazy to think of it, when we actually look at the ranking and see our names. I don't think that happens very often,” Lipman said.

“I definitely credit him for me being where I am because I know without him it would have been a ton harder. And I don't even know if I would have got to this level, because of how much time on the court we’ve spent together. It just made it easier.”

And Karl, despite not getting a chance to duke it out on the court in a District 11-AAA rivalry – as opposed to a major junior event – will actually take over the top spot sometime next month, the tennis buddies have figured out. The points system is based on six top junior tournaments during a time period, and some of Lipman’s points will drop off first.

“We've been practicing together since we were like 9, we've just been pushing each other for years now, and it helps a whole lot for sure,” Karl said Wednesday.

The two are good, “hard-working, level-headed kids” and both have a great sense of humor, says BHS tennis coach Andy Veal, who also has coached Lipman and Karl for 1 1/2 years as Wildwood club pro.

“They're just a pleasure to be around, and it's an easy job coaching them,” Veal said.

They also have siblings who are tennis standouts in their own right: Lipman’s older brother Ryan stars at No. 1 currently for Vanderbilt (where their mom also played), and Sean’s younger brother Stephen is a Woodland eighth-grader who ranks among the top 5 juniors in the South in 14s.

“If you've got a tennis-playing family, the younger kid will often look up to the brother and have someone to practice with,” Veal noted, “so when Stephen and Sean play, it's a workout for little Stephen.”

But Lipman and Karl are as different as Federer and Nadal, or McEnroe and Connors, when it comes to their style of play on the court.

Crafty vs. bulldog clash of styles 

Sean Karl is a grinder – a baseliner who wants to play long rallies and wear down his competition – while Maxx Lipman has an all-court game that can beat you in a lot of different ways.

Karl compares his style to Novak Djokovic and likened Lipman’s game to more like Federer’s.

“I look up to him, he's definitely my favorite player on tour, but I don't think my game is a lot like him. I am a two-hander so that right there makes us pretty different. If i could be like him, I definitely would,” Maxx quipped.

Lipman, who Karl says plays “crafty tennis,” said he was always taught by his coaches to “learn every shot.” Veal said Maxx is a creative player with no weaknesses who can volley well, play the net, groundstroke with anyone and has good vision.

 “He is a real talent,” Veal said. “Honestly it's too hard to determine how he would do (in the pros), but he has the game to succeed really at the high level, no question.

“… He's obviously had extremely good technical training at a young age, his strokes are very polished, he works hard, and he's extremely gifted. He's got tremendous hands.”

Veal called Karl “more of a bulldog kind of a tennis player. He is extremely hard-hitting, a very tenacious tennis player, very hard-working. He plays a groundstroke, baseline game predominately – he’s a baseline basher – and has great, great desire. He’s very, very driven to be the best he can.”

Lipman also noted Sean’s competitiveness and said “he never gives up on any point. He's super fast, and it's hard to get a ball past him.”

Both plan on pursuing pro careers, but not until they play college tennis first. Karl noted that only one player in the current top 100 in the world is under age 20 these days.

“There are so many kids that have done really well in the juniors and haven't made it in the pros,” Lipman added. “There's really no guarantee and no contract so you have to earn everything. That's definitely my goal to go pro and try to be the best in the world. If it happens, it happens, but if not ...

“I really want to go play college tennis at a high Division I school, and after college would want to go pro. I do love the team atmosphere and that's what I want to college so badly for.”

But right now they’ve got plenty to think about – between the simultaneous junior circuit and high school spring season.

Top juniors sacrifice to play high school tennis

Karl played two tourneys during spring break, reaching the finals of qualifying for a Futures low-level professional tourney before losing to a player who made the Junior U.S. Open quarterfinals.

The returning state Class AAA boys singles champion in high school, Karl led the Raptors yesterday against the defending state champion Brentwood Bruins – then heads to Little Rock, Ark., this weekend for a Future qualifying event.

Next week he flies out to California for the week-long major Easter Bowl junior tournament, which means he’ll miss high school matches.

“For the juniors, the high school season is kind of a little bit in a tough spot because there are a lot of big tournaments right now,” Sean said.

Lipman, on the other hand, doesn’t know when he’ll be back in action. About three years ago, he suffered two stress fractures in his back – one 100% and the other one 50% -- and was out several months. The full stress fracture healed, but the other one has now returned as a 100% stress fracture.

Doctors say it’s due to the twisting movements and going up after high balls, he said.

“It would have definitely been fun to play him,” Karl said Wednesday. “He's my best friend. It would have just been a fun match to play, having the No. 1 and 2 kids in the age group playing each other in a high school match.”

The curly-headed Lipman said he’s trying to stay in shape while his back heals, but laughingly admitted “I hate going to the gym. I'd much prefer something on court . . . Outside of tennis, I don't know how I would get exercise.”

Calling it “a miserable injury,” he’s restricted from any type of twisting motion and cautioned otherwise to avoid anything that makes it hurt.

Lipman definitely is shooting to be back by the main summer tournaments, but says he may try to play at the end of high school if he’s feeling OK.

Ravenwood sophomore Sean Karl, who will become No. 1 nationally next month, won the state high school title as a freshman. (Photo courtesy of

“Definitely, it'd be fun if he came back,” Sean said. “It really would mix things up, make it real hard for either one of us.”

Many top junior players round the country are homeschooled and some may choose not to play high school tennis, although Karl says he knows some in California who do.

“A lot of times the high school tennis is not particularly useful to high-caliber players because they don't get a lot of good matches,” Veal said. “And also the practices, it's a large time commitment in the spring, which is a very important time for tennis players because there are a lot of national tournaments and qualifying tournaments that are important, that will lead into the summer.

“It's really a nice thing that both of these guys do it. I think it shows a lot about their character that they would take that time and play school matches.”

Ravenwood rival will get his turn at No. 1 soon

Lipman, who first began playing at age 3 or 4, has gone from homeschooling between the fourth and seventh grade to private school at Battle Ground Academy in 8^th and half of ninth grade last year to public school at BHS.

“Just trying to find the best fit,” Lipman said. “I really like Brentwood.”

He knew a lot of the players and thinks the team has a chance to repeat at state champ, and he was hoping to win a singles title.

“I feel like the school does so much for me, it'd be good to give them back something.”

Lipman played in the Junior U.S. Open last fall, in the main draw in doubles and the qualifying in singles – the biggest tournament of his career.

“When I was playing doubles on the main court with all the ball kids and all the players, I was like 'I never want this to end,' ” Maxx said. “It'd be so cool if every tournament you got treated like this -- so many were actually watching you and cared how you did.”

During the qualifying draw, Maxx beat the No. 1 seed, who was ranked in the 500s in the world in men’s, Veal said.

“So you can tell he's already having the kind of results that would indicate he is going to have a good tennis career if he can stay healthy,” Veal said.

Karl found out about his No. 2 ranking after Winter Nationals, where he lost in the final.

“If I'd have won that match, I'd be No. 1 in the nation right now,” Sean said. “Maxx and I will track and can't wait for the rankings to come out to see who is No. 1 in the nation. We tried to find out if I'd pass him or not. I didn't pass him, but I'll actually end up passing him and become No. 1 in mid-April.”

Lipman met Karl at his first tournament ever when they were around eight, at Belle Meade Country Club.

“It's definitely a rivalry on the court, we each want to win as badly, but we don't let how we do on the court affect our friendship off the court,” Maxx said.

Neither says they know their official head-to-head record and they haven’t played a tournament in nearly a year, but Karl says Lipman owns the edge.

“It would be a great match I know that,” Lipman said, if they could meet at today’s BHS-RHS boys match. “Whenever we play, we always have great matches.”