TYLER, Texas — A local 12-year-old is making waves in the tennis world.
Andrew Delello, a seventh-grader at Three Lakes Middle School, started playing tennis less than two years ago. He's now one of the top players in Texas and the entire country for his age.
"I like playing a lot," said Delello. "It's fun, like playing lessons and like playing tournaments on the weekend."
Delello practices at Faulkner Tennis Center with former professional tennis player and Head Pro Mario Jakovljevic.
In his age range, Delello is ranked 14th in Texas and 221st in the nation.
What Jakovlevic finds so amazing about Delello is the level he's at despite only playing for such a short time.
"When he got here at Faulkner tennis center, he was just a beginner," Jakovljevic said. "He could barely hold the racket."
From ground-strokes to volleys to serves, the pair put in hours of work every week.
And when Delello isn't practicing, he's traveling throughout the southern U.S. to play in tournaments.
Soon, Jakovljevic thinks he'll be ready for international tournaments.
"We have a huge potential for our player to make him maybe top 100 in the world," Jakovljevic said.
The thought of being a professional excites Delello, but that's not what he's focusing on.
He says he still has a lot to work on and his main focus is getting his shots in more consistently.
"Even though I'm still young, and I haven't been playing long I still work hard and play my best," Dellello said.
He's heading to tournament this weekend in Spring.