Meet Tristan Pham: Envisioning better sportsmanship for all

By: Julie Means

A visionary in the world of youth tennis, Tristan Pham created and developed an innovative website called the Junior Sportsmanship Portal to assist young players in learning the rules and etiquette of the game. Various tools and materials are used to educate players online. It has been adopted by the USTA (United States Tennis Association) Southern California and is part of a comprehensive effort by the USTA to create a positive and respectful environment for all junior tennis players.

“The sportsmanship portal is essentially a website with a quiz and instructional videos to make sure the juniors know the etiquette of the game,” Tristan explained. “It is used to make sure they know proper sportsmanship before stepping foot on the court.” 

Playing tennis for most of his life and competing since the age of 9, the now 18-year-old was born and raised in a tennis-loving family in Newport Beach. His parents, Justin Pham and Bonnie Lee, are passionate about the sport and highly involved in competitive tennis. The sport is a shared love in their family, with vacations and travel often including matches and clinics. Justin and Bonnie began raising their family in Newport Coast, then moved down the hill to be closer to Corona del Mar High School, where all of their children attended and played varsity tennis. His older brother, Kyle, also played for Southern Methodist University. His older sister, Lena, attends the University of California, Berkeley and Tristan will join her there this fall, when he matriculates to study statistics. He will continue to play tennis recreationally. 

“Being part of a tennis family ever since I was young made me fall in love with the sport early on,” Tristan shared. “It brings us closer together, whether it's us all playing together or just having something to talk about at the dinner table.”

While tennis is a shared family passion, it was initially more of a struggle for Tristan, who had difficulty with his vision. Diagnosed with fourth nerve eye palsy, a muscle weakness created difficulty for downward and inward eye movements. 

“Tracking the ball was especially challenging,” Tristan explained. “Particularly lower, faster balls, which required looking down, were the most difficult with my eye disability. Post-surgery, I noticed it was easier to track the ball and make cleaner contact. Outside of tennis, I noticed overall clearer vision in class and everyday life.”

Surgery to correct his vision was a game changer for Tristan, who succeeded in school and tennis despite the challenge. He played varsity tennis for the Sea Kings and was a valedictorian for the class of 2025. Recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction, he received an Academic Letter, Academic Lamp with Highest Honor, CDM Student Athlete, and was awarded a CdMPTA Scholarship and a ROP Supply Chain for Goods Scholarship Award. He credits time management, planning ahead, and setting clear goals and expectations daily for himself as keys to achieving success in the classroom and on the court. 

Playing on his high school team was important to him. “CdM tennis is the perfect example of healthy competition. Being a part of the team, we are not only able to push each other to improve, but help each other when down,” he said.

Sportsmanship is valued by his family and team, which inspired Tristan to create an innovative solution when he encountered other players who weren’t playing fairly during their matches.“Sportsmanship is the backbone of every sport. Pushing others is what makes us grow. However, we need to push each other through healthy competition and maintain proper gamesmanship,” he explained.

Tristan became involved with the USTA SoCal Junior Sportsmanship Committee, which, despite its name, was comprised of adults. He is the only junior on the committee, which reviews all recent USTA tournament activities to regulate sportsmanship and implement solutions. He was also key in the creation and application of the Ultimate Sportsmanship Challenge, a contest promoting good behavior and sportsmanship from players during tournaments.

His goal is to create a stronger, healthier tennis community. By getting involved and coming up with innovative tools and training for younger players, he hopes they will have as many opportunities as he has had.

“The tennis community has given so much to me in terms of fun, competition and friends, so I have always hoped to give back to the community as much as it has helped me.”