(Photo provided by David Cohen.)
David Cohen's ‘23 journey to Skidmore ‘s tennis team began when he was 12 and decided to dedicate all of his time to tennis, leaving his other sport — soccer — behind. Since then, playing with something to prove has been the driving force behind his dominance as an All-American four-star recruit.
Although Cohen was really passionate about soccer for much of his life, he decided that it did not give him the same passion that tennis did. “At that time, I was fed up with soccer. I always knew I had potential in tennis, so I figured why not give it a try.” It’s safe to say that this decision paid off, as Cohen is now part of the 17th best men’s tennis team in the country as of last season.
Growing up, Cohen traveled to multiple countries to compete in tournaments on a global scale. He often went with his parents or with a coach — hitting about 30-40 states in the U.S. Despite the rigorous travel schedule, Cohen’s dedication above all else has helped him achieve in the tennis world. These tournaments catapulted him to become a top 60 player in the United States, and his success has earned him an endorsement from Adidas as well.
What separates Cohen from others in the sport is his competitive nature and attention to detail. As he points out, he’s not the tallest tennis player out there. Being 5’7” and playing against players who are, on average, 6’0” gives Cohen extra motivation to prove that height isn’t everything.
“I definitely have an edge,” he says. “When you put me up against a guy who's 6 '5”, I’m going to find a way to win.” Cohen also emphasizes smaller details that elevate his game, saying “I’m really fast and I have good footwork, so I’m able to move better than the bigger guys.”
In regards to choosing Skidmore specifically, Cohen gelled really well with the other tennis players — as well as students from other teams — when he came on an official visit.
“I went to a couple of classes, I got along with the coach, and I like the program as a whole,” he says. After the visit, Cohen’s decision became all the more clear, saying, “It was really nice to come here and know that I had a whole community of athletes here to support me.”
Cohen plans on being a business major, and he intends on using that background to become a sports agent. At his high school in Oakton, VA, Cohen was friends with multiple division one recruits who include a center on the men’s basketball team at Georgetown University while another one of his friends is a running back for NC State University. Being around such a high level of competition helped motivate Cohen to this career path. While many of the division one tennis programs in the country have international players, division three is where most of the elite American tennis players can be found.
Even though it is the offseason, Cohen still has a concise and efficient structure to his day. He wakes up at 7 a.m. to either go for a run or to the gym. He then hits up D-Hall for breakfast, attends his classes, and goes to the library in between. When the weather is warmer, Cohen spends much of his time after classes hitting balls on the tennis courts.
For the spring season, Cohen is aiming to be an all-American athlete, and he wants the team to win the liberty league championship and then go onto win the national championship. Cohen points to the incredible talent that is on the team already, saying “There’s not one player that’s much better than another player.” He claims that “A liberty league [championship] is guaranteed, I want a national championship.”
Despite previous seasons of tremendous success and top 20 finishes nationally, Cohen believes that the team has gotten even better this year: “The first-year class is probably one of the best in history, if not the best.” Despite Cohen’s high aspirations, he always remembers how those aspirations begin. Just like he would tell his younger self, “preparation breeds excellence in everything you do.”