Blake's Charlie Adams: Virtuoso on the court

When he needs to relax and forget all about fuzzy neon-green balls, Charlie Adams likes sit down at a piano and mess around a little bit.

Oh, the Blake junior can play. He's taken lessons for most of his life. But it's not serious. He'll dabble in songs, bouncing from one to another, letting his fingers work and his mind wander.

"I start a lot of songs," he said. "I don't finish many."

For Adams, piano is playtime. Tennis, on the other hand, is serious business.

As veteran as a 17-year-old can be — Adams started playing when he was three — he first made a splash on the high school tennis platform as a freshman when he fought off severe cramps in his legs in the Class 1A singles semifinals, losing to eventual champion Myles Tang of Breck.

Last year, Adams parlayed his athleticism and keen reflexes into his first Class 1A singles championship, cruising through the season with barely a hiccup, losing only twice.

This year, Adams has been even better. He's undefeated, has victories over four of the top players in Class 2A (Minnetonka's Joel Richards, Edina's Max Olson, Hopkins' Manfred Barrios and Wayzata's Nick Beaty) and rarely dropping a set. He rolled through last week's Class 1A, Section 4 singles bracket, losing only two games in four matches en route to the championship.

"I'm not sure if I'm the best, but I think I'm up there," said Adams, acknowledging his dominance this season without crossing the line into arrogance. "One of the top two or three."

Blake coach Ted Warner, who has coached five previous state champions, gushes when he talks about Adams' abilities.

"He's one of the best I've ever seen with his footwork," Warner said. "He gets to the ball and just sits on the return. He's so athletic that he hasn't had to develop all of his shots yet. He's got all of the shots, he just hasn't had to use them."

For high school tennis, Adams is gradually introducing those aspects into his game. In the spring, his tennis goggles are trained on those around him. The team, a part of the sport he can only experience as a high school player, drives what he does.

"I love high school tennis more than any other type of tennis," he said. "Just that team aspect is what I love the most. Sometimes it's hard to even get up for a USTA match, but here, you have so much support. It's more of a family."

"He sets the tone for the younger players," Warner said. "He'll take a bucket of balls and go hit with a freshman and never bat an eye. The younger players see that and understand that if it means that much to a player like Charlie, it does to them, too."

When the boys' tennis state tournament begins Tuesday, Adams will lead the undefeated Bears in defense of their Class 1A team championship. When that's accomplished — and it's not at all presumptuous to say it would be a major upset if any team other than Blake wins the title — Adams will get the chance to focus on himself in pursuit of his second consecutive singles title.

To do both, he will play seven matches over four days, each match more important than the previous one.

Expect the piano at the Adams house to get plenty of use.