Noah Rubin (1996-), American Tennis Professional from Long Island, ACC Champion from Wake Forest

[DonRocks]

Noah Rubin became the first American teenager, and only the third teenager worldwide, ranked outside the top 300, to defeat a top-20 player in a Grand Slam, in the last 30 years with his Australian Open victory over Benoí®t Paire.

At 5'9" and 150 pounds in wet clothing, Rubin necessarily has a game patterned after one of his inspirations, Lleyton Hewitt. He has a tremendous work ethic, so he'll stay fit for as long as he can, and fight like a dog for as long as his body holds out.

He won't be a transcendent player, but he may be the best hope America has right now, although you should keep an eye on 18-year-old Californian, Taylor Fritz, who ground his way into the main draw of this year's Australian Open as well, losing to 23-year-old American Jack Sock in five sets.

Sock was 80-0 in high school, winning the Kansas state championship four straight years - he's ranked in the top 25 worldwide, and has an ATP tour win.

These three players - Rubin, Fritz, and Sock - are not-so-subtle reminders of how damned good you have to be in tennis to succeed at the professional touring level. The #1 singles player on Matt's (my son's) Woodson High School team last year, Jason Kros, was the best junior in Virginia, getting a full ride to Virginia Tech. Realistically, none of these other three players will ever hear of his name; imagine being the #1 attorney in a state - you'd be a multi-millionaire without even trying.