After stepping out of comfort zone, Isabel Thelen takes another step for St. Johns tennis

After earning all-state recognition last season for her play at No. 1 singles, Isabel Thelen knew she would have a target on her back.

And the St. Johns senior realized she needed to step out her comfort zone if she wanted to best handle that target on her each time she hit the court.

That led to Thelen doing a lot of hitting with St. Johns coach Josh Gove to prepare for all styles of opponents and testing herself on the United States Tennis Association circuit against strong competition.

"I definitely got humbled a little bit at the USTA," Thelen said. "Obviously I did win some good matches, but there were a couple times I lost to these girls and it opened my eyes because I wanted to win. It helped me work harder for this next year.

"It kind of put a fire under me."

Those things have led to Thelen starting her senior season strong for the Redwings. Thelen, who was voted the latest LSJ high school athlete of week winner, owns a 9-0 mark at No. 1 singles and hadn't dropped a set entering Thursday's CAAC Red match against Mason. Her success has St. Johns in position to win a league title.

"I could not be prouder of Isabel for the growth every single season and the hard work she puts in every single season," Gove said. "We do a lot of summer training together and she does some summer tournaments on her own so that she's at peak performance for each season."

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Thelen has risen to the challenge each year as she's gradually moved up the singles ranks during her high school career. She thrived at No. 4 singles as a freshman before shining at No. 3 singles as a sophomore. She succeeded making the jump to No. 1 singles last year and has been even better this spring to build on that success.

"I knew that if I wanted to top as good of a season as I had last year I'd have to step out of my comfort zone and practice different styles of play to beat more challenging competitors," Thelen said. "I've also been hitting the ball with a lot more power this year and (have) focused on finding every opponents' weakness rather than allowing them to take over the match."

Thelen hopes her improvements lead to a better finish this season. She reached the third round of the state finals at No. 1 singles and was the regional runner-up during her strong junior year.

"I expect that she is going to continue to believe in herself and believe in her game and use her experience, knowledge and variety to carry her and her team to hopefully a regional title and another spot in the state finals," Gove said. "She was first team all-state last year and I think that's another big goal for her. I truly believe she can do it and I'm excited to be with her every step of the way."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Isabel Thelen building on success to lead St. Johns girls tennis