Like many adolescent boys his age, Max Schnur has gone through a growth spurt over the past few years.His 170 pounds is now spread over a 6-4 frame, which has made the 16-year-old an intimidating presence on the tennis court.
“This year, I’ve actually slowed down a little,” Schnur said. “I think I’ve grown like two inches.”
Along with the increase in height, Schnur’s tennis game has shown considerable growth, too. Perhaps that’s no coincidence.
“This year, I’ve kind of started to grow into my body and I’m a little less awkward,” he added. “I started to get a little stronger and a little more coordinated, and everything started to work together with my serve and my forehand.”
Those two valuable parts of his game have vaulted the Collegiate School junior into the No. 2 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic region and the top 100 nationally (No. 82) in the boys 16 age group. It’s also put him on the radar of many Division I college coaches.
“I would say that he has completely committed to being a tennis player ,” said Damian Sancilio, the director of tennis at Courtside West who works with Schnur. “He’s a good athlete. He’s 6-4 and when you’re that height, his serve has improved a lot.
“Probably the biggest thing in his game is he’s developed a serve that is a real weapon. And his forehand has become a weapon. He’s played so many national tournaments and that’s really helped. He’s just fully committed. That’s the main thing.”
Sancilio, a two-time former city champion, also believes the growth surge has been a contributing factor.
“That has really helped him,” said Sancilio. “All of a sudden, he had this huge serve when he didn’t really have much of a serve, so he wins a lot of free points with his serve now. He’s a tall kid, he’s coordinated and he moves well.”
With his big serve and powerful forehand, Schnur has made several splashes on the national scene in recent months.Perhaps his most significant accomplishment was winning the U.S. Tennis Association’s Boys’ 16 National Open doubles title with Michael Reilly of Raleigh, N.C., in Allenwood, N.J.
“We had never played together before, but we’re pretty good friends now,” Schnur said with a laugh.
“That was, by far, one of my highlights of the summer. That was really good. We were unseeded, so I wasn’t really expecting to win. I was hoping to maybe get a couple matches in there and compete with the best. It was a great feeling to win it.”
Schnur also teamed with his regular partner, Edwin Zhang of Falls Church, to reach the semifinals of the USTA Boys’ 16 Super National Clay Courts in Delray Beach, Fla. The duo upset the No. 1 seeds in the second round before settling for fourth place.
“The whole tournament was a roller coaster of ups and downs,” said Schnur, who won seven singles matches and placed 17-24 after playing well in the backdraw. “We almost lost first round. It was pretty crazy. I think it’s more fun to do something like that with a good friend and doubles partner.”
In the biggest tournament of the summer for juniors, at Kalamazoo, Mich., Schnur lost in the third round of singles of the Boys’ 16 division.
“Even though it was the lowest tournament, result-wise, of the summer,” he said, “it was the most thrilling one. I was really excited to be there. It was a whole new level and a whole different experience. I just loved all of it and want to get back next year in the 18s.”
Schnur has started to play in some 18s – he’ll turn 17 in February – and finished sixth in a USTA National Open last month in Toledo, Ohio, where he also received the sportsmanship award. He’s heading to Scottsdale, Ariz., next week for the USTA Boys’ 16 Winter Super Nationals.
Schnur will be joined in Scottsdale by fellow Richmonder Emily Hahn, who is competing in the Girls’ 16 portion of the tournament. From Jan. 2-7 in Tucson, Ariz., Emily and Alyssa Hahn (girls’ 12) will be playing in the Copper Bowl, along with Callie Whitlock (girls’ 18) and Evan Charles (boys’ 18).
In addition to his national exploits, Schnur helped Collegiate win the Prep League and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association titles in May, the first time the Cougars had accomplished both in the same season. Schnur played No. 1 singles as a sophomore.
“That was pretty crazy,” he said. “We were underdogs going into it again. It just seemed like every year we were like second place and it didn’t work out. But we really came ready to play this year and everybody played really well.”
Schnur considers himself an “aggressive baseliner,” and is trying to approach the net more to put away volleys.
“I do come in a fair amount,” he said. “That’s one aspect of my game that I’m working on. I’m getting more comfortable coming to the net.”
How much better can Schnur’s game become? Sancilio believes there’s a lot more room for improvement.
“He’s got a lot of potential,” said Sancilio. “He’s getting a bigger game. He’s definitely a Division I college player. He’s a very smart kid. So when he loses, he learns from it. He listens. He asks a lot of people’s advice. He takes it in. His brain has helped him, too.
“I’d say right now, for his age, he’s probably, as far as I’m concerned, in the top 50 in the country.”
Schnur used to play soccer and basketball, as well as tennis, when he was younger but has concentrated on tennis for the past two years.
“People always ask me why did you give up basketball because of my height, but I always liked tennis the most,” Schnur said. “I played soccer and basketball because all my friends played it and it was fun. Now I want to see what I can do with tennis.”
