WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A local tennis player is being recognized for more than 40 years of dedication to the sport. 73-year-old Mike Scott just got back from Atlanta where he accepted a monumental award: the USTA Southern Tennis Professional of The Year.
He also won the 2025 North Carolina Tennis Professional of the Year.
“I was born on a farm outside of Winston-Salem. I knew what hard work was about,” said Scott.
Scott has lived in Wilmington now for over 30 years and has been teaching tennis for over half of his life.
“He is very patient and very kind,” said Linda Haller, one of his students. “I started taking lessons with him about 15 years ago and haven’t stopped.”
Scott started getting serious about playing tennis after meeting some friends who were professionals in Oklahoma nearly four decades ago.
“Now I can’t play. I’ve had two knees replaced, hip replaced, back surgery,” he said.
Scott can still coach though, but after decades of tennis in his life, he faced a new opponent a few years ago that he wasn’t sure he could beat: cancer.
“I was fit as I could be,” said Scott. “Cancer doesn’t discriminate.”
He was diagnosed first with prostate cancer, and then neck and throat cancer a month later.
“I had a big tumor,” said Scott.
He had sat out of tennis for 6 months but came back, not ready to give it up.
“I’m a fighter, I am. I got back out there,” said Scott.
Now that hard work he learned on a farm growing up, is all paying off with his new awards.
“Well-deserved because he’s out here almost every day, whether it’s freezing, whether it’s hot, all day,” said Haller.
“t’s a good way to kind of start ending my career doing this, I can’t do this forever,” said Scott. “What an honor.”
Scott says his career isn’t quite over yet, he’ll keep teaching for as long as he can.
“It’s what I do,” he said.
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