Junior Winston Lee recently committed to The University of California, Berkeley, for Division 1 tennis. As a varsity player for Cupertino’s boys tennis team, he went 12-0 freshman year and 18-1 during his sophomore year.
During his childhood, Lee found a passion for tennis through the sport’s competitive nature. He enjoyed the rewardingness of challenging skilled players, as it gave him a sense of growth when becoming victorious against previous opponents whom he usually lost. His determination and passion are evidently displayed in his achievements, ranking third in California for the class of 2025 and placing as a finalist for CCS in 2022 and 2023. His tennis ability was well recognized by peers and as he got older, he began gaining the attention of college recruiters.
His path to becoming a UC Berkeley D1 tennis commit was not easy. Lee immigrated to America in his freshman year. English not being his first language, he found it hard to communicate with coaches and other players. However, with the help of other students and Cupertino High School’s ELD program, Lee eventually was able to overcome this language barrier. He notes that during the tennis season, he had to compete against bigger and taller players which was different from his own proportions. Thus, he made up for his “weaker spots […] by strengthening my [his] strength.” Lee came up with a plan to increase agility and strength through multiple repetitions of fitness training.
Lee first met the UC Berkeley boys tennis coach in June of 2023 at the Northern California Tennis Tournament. He was approached by the coach who noticed Lee’s talent in the game and mentioned Berkeley’s interest in him. Lee recalls that his “first impression of him was very good, and so he stayed in touch after the first meeting.” Fast forward to Sept. 2023, Lee was invited to tour the campus and watch the current Berkeley tennis team practice. The players were fierce and focused on the court but were “super nice” off the court Following the Berkeley tour, Lee visited other schools who also showed interest in him but eventually committed to Berkeley due to its great tennis and academic programs. He also states that the awesome California weather was too good to pass up on. After a few discussions between Lee’s parents and the Berkeley coaches, Lee was able to announce his commitment to Berkeley in Feb. 2024. Looking back from the start of this recruitment journey, Lee shares, “The process of recruiting was a great experience to talk a lot with many college coaches and learn more about college.”
