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By Daniel Locke | Staff Writer

Helena is the proud home of a rising star on the tennis court.

Beck Unnoppet, a seventh grader who attends Prince Of Peace Catholic School, has excelled in his craft of tennis and has a spot on John Carroll Catholic’s varsity roster to show for it. His success was noticed, allowing him to attend Rafa Nadal’s camp in Spain, allowing him to advance his game even further.

Unnoppet originally started playing tennis at a young age, as the sport has been a part of his family for quite some time. His father, Nop, played tennis in college, and both of his older sisters, Fin and Reese, played as well. He ended up taking to the sport quickly.

“When I first picked up a racket, I was about five or six because my sister started playing,” Beck Unnoppet said. “I started getting into it and thought, ‘Oh, this is fun, I love this, I’m going to keep doing this.’”

While Beck tried out for other sports, it did not take long for him to realize the tennis court is where he wanted to be in athletics.

“Any other sports are ok, football is a little rough because I don’t want to get an injury playing,” Beck Unnoppet said. “The other sports are ok, but tennis was just right for me because I had enough strength and endurance.”

The quality of coaching he has received from a young age has laid the groundwork for Beck’s development. Coaches who have helped him a lot along the way are Richard Harris, Joseph Bobba and Jacob McAllister.

“He’s amazing,” Beck Unnoppet said of Harris. “He’s fantastic, he’s my favorite coach. He seems a little mean at first. When I started playing with him, he started getting nicer. He looks strict, but he’s actually really nice. He pushes me harder so I can work harder.”

Earning the opportunity to compete at Nadal’s camp was not an opportunity Beck expected, but he received an invitation after a stellar showing Nadal’s camp in Gulf Shores.

“I went (to Gulf Shores) and I heard you could get an invitation to go to Spain and a signed racket by Nadal,” Beck Unnoppet said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to get this. I’m going to get an invitation to go to Spain.’ But I knew there was college kids there who were a lot bigger and stronger than me. I still tried my hardest and I got the invitation.”

Participating in the camp gave Beck the opportunity to train like a professional, focusing on his game around the clock with a lot of high-quality coaching at his disposal. The experience has made a significant difference in the quality of his game.

“The experience was fun,” Beck Unnoppet said. “We would wake up, go to breakfast and then start training. We would go to this thing called Build Your Champion, where they would teach us about where to make a shot and where to hit the ball. They also taught us about our mentality and toughness.”

The young tennis star highlighted that the camp touched on every aspect of the game in some way, making it a valuable time overseas.

“We worked on everything there,” Beck Unnoppet said.”Volleys, over heads, all that stuff. All the coaches helped me.”

Beck saw an immediate pay-off from his time in Spain, as his skills were sharper than before he left.

“When I came back from Spain, I felt stronger,” Beck Unnoppet said. “I decided to work out more so I could build my endurance and see how much stronger I could hit the ball.”

Beck’s experience in Spain paved the way for him to earn a spot on John Carroll’s varsity roster, despite him only being in the seventh grade. The difference in age between him and his competition is a challenge for Beck, but he is able to hold his own and compete at a high level.

“Competing as a seventh grader on the high school team is tough for me because there are a lot of people that are older than me, stronger than me and know more than me,” Beck Unnoppet said. “My teammates help me through that. My favorite teammate is Will Magruder, he’s our number one tennis player. He’s a senior and he’s really good… He’s been teaching me how to get the ball over if I’m missing a lot and my serves and stuff.”

Beck’s biggest supporter, however, is his mother, Sonya. From Spain all the way back to Helena, Sonya is proud of the success Beck has had on the court, but is also proud of the way he has carried himself in the classroom throughout his school career.

“It’s been really amazing,” Sonya Unnoppet said. “Beck has always been a hard worker. Since the time he’s been young he’s had to work a little extra harder than others in the classroom setting because Prince Of Peace has a rigorous curriculum. Through the years, he’s gotten excellence awards and recognitions.”

Beck’s motivation to succeed in tennis has impressed many people. Sonya, of course, is no different.

“It’s great for him to have goals for himself,” Sonya Unnoppet said. “I’m just really, really proud of him. I really am.”

Although he is only a seventh grader, Beck already has the future in mind. He has a list of accomplishments he wants to check off during his high school career and has already started to think about his potential as a collegiate tennis player as well.

“On varsity, I’m the four seed, but we have three seniors that will be gone, so that’s all going to change for me. I want to get the second or the first seed,” Beck Unnoppet said. “Also, my goal is to focus on tournaments so I can increase my state-level ranking.”

While Beck still has a decent portion of his school career left in front of him, he has shown his potential to accomplish big things on the tennis court. From picking up a sport that runs in his family, to competing at one of the most well-respected academies in the world, to earning a varsity spot as a seventh grader, the sky is the limit for this prodigy in the making.