Sandgren joins brother in tennis

The top boys tennis recruit in the nation will be joining the University of Tennessee next month.

Tennys Sandgren of Gallatin has decided to reunite with brother Davey at UT, his mother said Saturday.

"I think his brother was the biggest drawing card, and the coaches are awesome, too,'' Lia Sandgren said.

Sandgren picked the Vols over Georgia, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. However, his biggest decision was whether to go to college or turn pro.

"I need to fill some holes in my game and work on my court focus and I know college tennis will help me do just that,'' Sandgren said in a written release.

"I am excited to join my brother Davey and the UT team for what we all hope will be one of the greatest seasons in UT men's tennis history.

"I'll jump in there somewhere in the lineup and we will be very tough to beat.''

Sandgren was playing in the Dominican Republic over the weekend and could not be reached for further comment.

Sandgren is rated the No. 1 prospect by tennisrecruiting.net. He reached as high as No. 9 in the world juniors ranking and beat the No. 1 ranked player earlier this year, his mother said.

Davey Sandgren is a senior at UT.

Tennys - a family named pronounced like the sport - will graduate from Aaron Academy in Hendersonville on Jan. 4, his mother said, and plans to be playing for the Vols at the SEC Indoor Championships in January.

"Hopefully, he'll get everything cleared with the NCAA eligibility center,'' Lia Sandgren said. "We're working on that now.''

Sandgren's plans are to turn pro "in the very near future.''

He was attracted to the idea of being able to return to UT at a future date and complete his degree.