In the game of tennis, the term love means nothing. For Kenya Jones (12), however, it means absolutely everything. Behind her successes is love for both her family and her sport.

Since the age of four, Kenya Jones has been coached by her father and mentored by her older sister, who is also a tennis player.

“I like the fact that [tennis] is an individual sport because I don’t have to rely on anyone else, but I also cannot blame anyone else,” Jones said.

Relying on only herself has fared well for Jones, who is currently one of the highest rated tennis prospects in the nation. In addition to being ranked number one in both the state of Tennessee and the Southern region, she is currently classified as a blue chip prospect, an honor bestowed upon only the best. She has taken official recruiting visits to her top five schools: Vanderbilt, Clemson, Georgia Tech, LSU and Florida State. In addition to her top five, Jones has also received interest from schools throughout the nation such as Mississippi State, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Jones’s goal for herself in college is to be in the top three lineup for her team and to eventually be crowned as an NCAA All-American. She has made her decision on where she will attend college next fall, but is keeping it a secret until signing day on November 11. For whichever college team adds Jones to their roster next fall, it will certainly be a grand slam for their program.