For Dante Chabot, there’s nothing better than seeing a “Wave Advisory” alert on his phone when he wakes up at 5 a.m.
Those are the best days.
Because for the young tennis sensation, surfing is both a mental and physical outlet.
If for the past year you’ve been wondering if one of the best junior tennis players in New England still lives in Newburyport, then the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Just recently, Chabot climbed to the No. 1-ranked U18 player in the state of Massachusetts, No. 5 in New England, and is closing in on the top-100 nationally. Status he’s earned through another year of hard work and dominance on the courts, most recently highlighted by his strong play at the USTA Winter Nationals down in the Florida, and the New England Winter Sectionals just this past weekend.
All while balancing being a High Honor Roll student with over a 4.0 GPA.
All while being a senior captain for the Newburyport boys ski team.
And all while figuring out his future plans when it comes to academics and tennis.
It’s a lot of stress to handle.
But man … that somehow all seems to disappear when he’s by himself catching a wave at Salisbury Beach, with the sunset at his back.
“If there’s waves, I’ll get out there every day, even in the winter,” said Chabot. “I’ll get up at 5 (a.m.), get to the beach at first light around 6-6:15, then just go out surfing for an hour. It definitely makes a difference. A lot of the times I’m alone out there, and there’s just something nice about being by yourself and connecting with nature. I actually wrote my college essay on that: Finding balance between college admissions, athletics and school, and finding it through something you’re passionate about … which for me is surfing.”
Whatever Chabot’s routine has been, it’s worked.
In December, Chabot was one of 128 juniors from the entire country who qualified to play in the USTA Winter National Championships down in Orlando, Florida. He was the only player from Massachusetts to qualify, and one of only three from the entire New England region.
And he didn’t travel down there just to sight-see.
After losing his opening match in the double-elimination-style tournament, Chabot ripped off five straight wins to reach the top-24 before bowing out. That included a 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 10-8 third-round victory over the tournament’s No. 3 seed, Alexander Suhanitski of New Rochelle, New York — — who came in as the No. 9-ranked junior in the entire country, and who had just won the USTA Indoor National Championship not long prior.
Chabot trailed 8-5 in the tiebreaker, but won the final five points.
“That match was really close,” said Chabot, who still works with longtime coach Oscar Jara between the Newburyport Tennis Club and Montoya Tennis Training (Tewksbury) during the week. “But winning those last five points gave me a ton of confidence. I sort of had the momentum after that to win three more matches.”
Then the New England Winter Sectionals this past weekend went just as well.
Chabot cruised to the semifinals, along the way earning a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over the No. 4-ranked U18 player in the quarters. Unfortunately he woke up on “Semifinal Sunday” under the weather and lost, 6-4, 6-3, but he still got a lot out of the tournament.
“I felt really good about my game this weekend,” said Chabot. “I played some of my best tennis on that Saturday.”
So what’s next?
Well, Chabot is currently enjoying his senior season on the slopes, and is still going through his options when it comes to his next academic and athletic step. He wants to play high-level college tennis while also major in engineering, and has already received a handful of offers. There’s also been discussions of a prep year, but for somebody with Chabot’s talent and grades, all options are a realistic possibility.
He is now No. 1, of course.
“It’s great to have that (No. 1) stat, I guess,” said Chabot. “But I’m just trying to get better without focusing on the rankings. When you’re trying to get recruited for college (the rankings are) always in the back of your mind, you want to have the results to get them to notice you.
“But at the end of the day, I’m just trying to get better at tennis.”