Tennis: Mill Valley’s Grumet taking aim at 16 national title

Gus Grumet of Mill Valley is embarking on the biggest 10 days of his young tennis career when he opens play as the top seed in the USTA Boys 16 National Championships on Sunday in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The stakes could not be higher. As the creme de la creme of junior tennis, Kalamazoo is the tournament that launches players to new heights, including college scholarships and even pro careers.

“To win Kalamazoo is the goal of every junior player,” says Grumet’s coach, Steve Jackson of Nicasio. “It means you’re on your way to being a pro.”

Also, if Grumet wins the 16-and-under championship, he gets an automatic spot in the U.S. Open Junior Boys main draw. You’ll actually be able to watch him play on television. (The Kalamazoo 18s winner gets a berth in the U.S. Open main draw.)

“It’s a big goal of mine to play in the Junior U.S. Open,” says Grumet. “It’s also my recruiting year. I want to go to college, but I have no idea where I’d want to go.”

The 16-year-old who attends University High in San Francisco is in the spotlight after claiming his first gold ball on July 14 at the USTA Boys 16 Clay Court National Championships in Delray Beach, Fla. Grumet was making his fourth appearance in a national final, including the 2024 Easter Bowl in Indian Wells, when he finally broke through on clay.

Grumet’s trip to Florida started with a win in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior tournament in Orlando. In a two-week span, he played 13 singles matches plus doubles.

“I didn’t know if he had that deep of a tank,” says Jackson. “It takes a lot of grit.”

Grumet has all the intangibles for success, according to Jackson, who spent 10 years at Tiburon Peninsula Club before the past 16 years at California Tennis Club in San Francisco. The left-handed Grumet stands at 5-foot-10 1/2 and draws comparisons to Rafael Nadal, striking balls that often jump up out of his opponents’ comfort zones.

Juggling tennis and high school

Unlike many top junior players, Grumet lives at home, instead of shipping off to a tennis academy, and attends high school as a regular student as much as possible. University High is less than a mile from Cal Club, which helps Grumet balance training and academics.

“Their support for student-athletes is super accommodating,” Grumet said of University.

On typical school days, Grumet is at Cal Club to train from 7-8:30 a.m. before walking to school. He’s back at Cal Club by 3:30 p.m. and practices till 6.

“He’s extremely mature beyond his years,” says Jackson. “He’s always committed fully.”

Before Grumet became a national tennis champion, he was one of the best all-around athletes in Mill Valley youth leagues. He started playing tennis at Boyle Park when he was 4 years old and fondly remembers “popsicle tennis” where the kids who stayed till the end of the lesson got a popsicle. “I only went for the popsicles,” he says with a laugh.

Grumet also played for the Mill Valley Soccer Club, Mount Carmel in CYO basketball and Mill Valley Little League. His Little League All-Star coach, Brian Murphy of KNBR fame, still raves about him.

Murphy reports that Grumet batted .600 during the regular season as a 9-year-old and went on to star as the leadoff hitter on his 2017 All-Star team. Despite reaching safely in every All-Star at-bat, Grumet began to focus on tennis that next summer.

“I still remember the fateful day at Friends Field North when Gus approached me on the first day of summer All-Star practice and almost apologetically said, ‘Coach — I can’t play All-Stars this summer. I’ve made the decision to fully commit to tennis,’” recalls Murphy. “I still wonder how good he could have been for us. The 2019 11-year-old All-Star team won District and Section and went to NorCals. If only Gus was at leadoff.”

Two-time NCS champ

Grumet still enjoys team sports as the No. 1 player for University. He won the North Coast Section Division II singles title as a freshman and helped his team capture the NCS team championship over Branson as a sophomore. Branson had narrowly beaten University 4-3 for the 2023 title, so Grumet and his teammates had ample motivation when they dominated 6-1 in the rematch last spring.

“I was pretty happy about that,” Grumet said of University’s win over Branson. “We had a tough one the year before.”

Grumet opted not to compete in the NCS singles tournament in May to train and allow his teammate a chance to claim his own individual title. University’s Karam Dhawan won in his absence. (MCAL champ Chase Hoeveler of Branson was third.)

Just as Grumet was intent of leading University to the NCS team title as a sophomore, he’s out for redemption this year in Kalamazoo. Last year, he was disappointed that he didn’t get to compete on one of the main courts after rain pushed his match indoors where he lost in the first round. This time should be different.

“I have a lot of confidence in myself — mentally keeping my composure and not doubting myself,” he says. “I’m always looking to come forward.”

Born in New York to a Jewish father and Korean mother, Grumet plans to head to The Hamptons for family vacation after Kalamazoo. Imagine the reunion if Grumet gets to play in the U.S. Open in New York City just two hours from the place his dad’s family gathers every summer.

Add that to the list of things at stake in Kalamazoo for Marin’s rising tennis star.