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Wyatt Lippert knew he was in trouble.

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ESPN RISE Magazine

Cover boy Wyatt Lippert has signed to play tennis with Ohio State.

Down 3-0 in the decisive third set of last year's Division I state tennis final against New Albany's Peter Kobelt, Lippert faced an uphill battle, to say the least. With Kobelt only three games from the title and momentum on his side, Lippert's dream of capturing a state crown appeared to be just that. The odds were stacked against him. He could've folded under the pressure. But this was Wyatt Lippert, which meant the match was far from over.

Lippert took a deep breath, refocused and began to rally. Using all the shots in his repertoire, he took advantage of every opportunity Kobelt presented him. Six straight victorious games later, Lippert stood at Ohio State's Stickney Tennis Center as the state champion. The come-from-behind win exemplified the mental toughness Lippert has displayed since he joined the Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) varsity as a freshman. Now a senior, his cool-under-pressure attitude has helped him become an elite player. A 6-foot-2, 175-pound lefty, Lippert has signed with Ohio State and at press time was rated the nation's No. 39 recruit in the Class of 2009 by TennisRecruiting.net.

And not many in the nation are better at battling back from what seem like insurmountable deficits. "He's certainly a fighter," Ohio State coach Ty Tucker says. "He's worked for everything he's received in this game, and he's not about to let it go without a fight."

"He wears opponents down," adds Lippert's private coach, Roland Lutz. "In order to beat him, you have to work so hard. The longer it takes, the more the match is to his advantage."

Lippert began displaying his trademark poise during his first year at Lakota West. As one of just two freshmen to qualify for the state tournament, he wasn't expected to get out of the first round against favored junior Brad Noel of Westlake. The first set went according to the script with Noel notching a 6-2 win. The second appeared headed in the same direction with Noel holding a 5-2 lead, one game from advancing to the quarterfinals.

But Lippert wasn't through. He fought his way back to take the second set in a tiebreaker and went on to win the third, 6-4. "I couldn't believe I won that match," he says. In the quarterfinals, Lippert lost the first set to senior Alex McCann of Lexington, 6-3, but dominated the next two sets, 6-1 and 6-0, to earn a spot in the semifinals. That's where Lippert's run finally ended against Sycamore senior Sandy Berry, but he bounced back to win the third-place match in straight sets over Mansfield senior Diego Miranda. Lippert finished the year 21-10.

The following season, Lippert improved considerably. He went 25-6, captured the Greater Miami Conference tournament title and was named the GMC Player of the Year. At state, he notched a pair of straight-set wins before being toppled, 6-0, 6-0, by Kings senior Matt Allare, who went on to win the championship.

It was a humbling defeat, for sure, but Lippert didn't dwell on it. Instead, he went on to win the consolation final for the second straight year. With Allare off to Ohio State, Lippert appeared ready to dominate the state in his junior season. The campaign started smoothly with convincing wins against his first two opponents. In the third contest of the season, Lakota West took on Oak Hills with Lippert set to battle Chris Keck, the player he had defeated for the GMC title the previous season.

Lippert won the first set, 6-3, and held a 5-2 lead in the second when he did something unusual -- he assumed he had the victory in hand. The mental lapse caused Lippert to lose focus, and he couldn't recover as Keck took the second set, 7-5, and then the third, 6-4. "In a way, it was a rookie mistake," Lippert says. "It's not that I didn't respect him. I just thought the match was over."

The loss was difficult to take, especially because Lippert made an error that was so at odds with his usual approach. He vowed not to let it happen again. "He responded to that adversity by getting better and dedicating himself mentally and physically to what it would take to be successful," Lakota West coach Mike Mueller says. "If you're going to push him, it awakes a sleeping giant," adds Lippert's mother, Jill. "Then he just turns it on and he's like a freight train."

After the loss to Keck, Lippert rolled off 29 consecutive victories, including his win over Kobelt in the state final. It was the first individual state tennis title in Lakota School District history. Lippert, who went 31-1 on the season, also won GMC, sectional and district championships and was chosen as The Cincinnati Enquirer Division I Player of the Year.

Just as important to Lippert as any of those accomplishments was receiving the Ohio Tennis Coaches' Association John Harlow Sportsmanship Award for the character he displayed during the state tournament.

"It feels really good to know that I'm not only looked at as a player but as a person as well," Lippert says. "Wyatt combines talent, work ethic and character better than any athlete I've worked with," Mueller adds. "When you have good people doing things right, success is just a matter of time."

Lippert hopes to continue his success this season. To prep for his senior campaign, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the Kentucky International Junior Tennis Derby in the fall. It was his first international tournament. He knows there will be pressure this year to defend his state title, and he's ready for it.

"There's no fooling around," he says. If any high school tennis player has the mental toughness to handle the expectations, it's Lippert.

Jon Mahoney covers high school sports for ESPN RISE Magazine.