If Patrick Kypson ever feels pressure on court, his father Alan will jokingly tell the 23-year-old he does not know pressure.
While Kypson is battling on the ATP Challenger Tour, Alan faces a different type of pressure working as a cardiac surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina, 20 minutes from the host site of the Atlantic Tire Championships, where Patrick is competing this week.
The American is soaking in this rare opportunity to play close to home. Kypson cruised through his opening-round match against Michael Geerts and was immediately met by family congratulating him.
[ATP APP]
“All of my family lives here. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, this is the only time they get to come out and watch me play throughout the entire year,” Kypson told ATPTour.com. “It’s cool to play in front of them. I get to sleep in my own bed, home-cooked meals, my mom is a good cook. You can’t beat it. It’s a little extra motivation for sure.
“My sister lives here too, she goes to college at UNC [University of North Carolina]. This is probably the first time she’s seen me play in three years.”
Kypson’s roots are in North Carolina. He grew up in Greenville, where World No. 13 Tommy Paul was also raised. A former Texas A&M University star, Kypson’s first private coach was Paul’s stepfather Randy Bailey. They trained on clay courts at Courtside Athletic Club, 90 minutes from Raleigh.
“It was pretty cool because me, Tommy, his sister [Jessie], a girl named Lauren Herring, she played at Georgia, came out of there,” Kypson said. “It was actually a pretty good turnout for a small club.”
The American started playing tennis at age eight and two years later, the Kypson family was racking up miles travelling to junior tournaments.
“We would always leave Thursday or Friday night after my dad’s work. I look back and it was such a grind driving all over the south and playing tennis tournaments every weekend,” Kypson said.
A former ITA All-American, Kypson attended Texas A&M because of a strong relationship he had with coaches Steve Denton and Kevin O’Shea. Kypson was in College Station for one year before turning pro. Kypson faced adversity when, due to injury, he was unable to play a full pro calendar for several years.
“[I had] elbow surgery, three or four abdominal tears, each one kept me out for three months,” Kypson said. “I would play, then tear it, three months of rehab. Just kind of always cycling, plus the elbow just wouldn’t get better. It was tough to get in a groove. I feel like the first year I played full on the Tour was when I came back from surgery last spring. It’s tough to play good tennis when you’re playing 12 events a year or less.”
The hard work has since paid off for Kypson, who in July captured his maiden ATP Challenger Tour in Medellin, Colombia, the hometown of his coach Alejandro Gonzalez. Medellin served as a second home for Kypson that week with Gonzalez’s family in attendance.
Patrick Kypson triumphs at the ATP Challenger Tour 50 event in Medellin, Colombia. Credit: Jumbo Open Rionegro