Parker becomes first 4-time prep tennis player of the year

Over time, tennis has evolved from a casual summer pursuit to an intense year-round competition for Kyle Parker.

The only thing that hasn't changed for him is his success -- Parker once again led Mills Godwin to a state title, and appared in the state singles finals for the first time in his career.

He capped off his senior season this year, and will attend the College of Charleston. That's cause for relief for other area athletes, as Parker is the first boys tennis player to be named player of the year four times.

Along for the ride has been current doubles partner and longtime friend Kevin McMillen, who remembers playing tennis during lazy summer afternoons at the Raintree Racquet Club.

"My parents would drop me off," he said. "Me and Kyle would go to the pool, then go play tennis, then go back to the pool."

Somewhere along the line the pool got dropped from the schedule, and the duo devoted themselves to tennis.

Parker quickly rose to No. 1 in the Mills Godwin ranks, and experienced success out side of high school competition as well. Last summer he won the Southern Junior Open -- without dropping a set -- despite going into the singles event unseeded. He also won the doubles title alongside McMillen.

During his four years of high school, he has worked on controlling his game and keeping himself calm during competition.

"I feel like I've gotten a lot calmer on the court," he said. "Freshman year I broke a couple racquets."

Playing alongside McMillen also seemed to hae a soothing effect for both players. Parker's career doubles record was 75-5, and an impressive 27-1 when teamed with McMillen.

"We both have an attitude, but when we play together, we can calm down whichever one of us is getting mad," McMillen said. "We learned from each other."

Parker's dominance wasn't just in pairs. He also amassed a 90-14 singles record during his four-year career with the Eagles.

It culminated with a trip to the state championship this year, after a semifinal victory over Sidarth Balaji of Fairfax High, avenging a 2008 quarterfinal loss. Then, he had to fight through a pulled stomach muscle before losing the championship match to Justin Shane of J.E.B. Stuart of Fairfax.

The pain was intense, enough so that after the season Parker took an entire week away from the tennis courts.

Of course, after that he was right back at it, playing in tournaments and preparing for his college career. He won't have McMillen, who is attending George Mason, but success seems to be on the radar for Parker in the upcoming years, just as it was for four years at Mills Godwin.

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546 or .