Cal Tennis Player Kent Hunter Joined Protests of Racial Injustice

Cal tennis player Kent Hunter had a simple reason for joining a southern California protest against racial injustice.

"I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing while the world was being turned upside down basically," he said.

So he participated in protests in the Hollywood area while living at home in Compton, Calif., during the summer.

"We were still sheltered in place, but at the time, when you see all the injustice going on around the world and you see all these protests happening, you kind of feel like you can't just sit at home and constantly do nothig, so I felt that even if it was only once, I had to go out and show my support for the movement," Hunter said.

It was a little unsettling to have an armed military presence at the protests, but he said he never felt threatened and was encouraged by the variety of people involved in the protests.

"It felt like a very inclusive movement," he said.

Hunter is still at home in Compton as the Cal fall semester begins. The start of the college tennis season wiped out with no certainty as to whether the spring tennis season will be played.

"Right now it's hard to set up any type of specific goal in this environment, because really you don't know what's going to happen today, tomorrow or anything," he said.

So he is playing a few tournaments in southern California and practicing as much as possible.

Being from Compton provokes the question whether the two most famous tennis players from Compton had an impact on his athletic life.

"Definitely," said Hunter. "I mean Venus and Serena, they're basically how I originally started playing tennis."

Actually, the Williams sisters had an indirect impact on Hunter's tennis future. Obviously, Venus and Serena Williams were big in Compton, and were the reason Hunter's older sisters started playing tennis.

So when Kent got old enough to begin playing a sport he was funneled into tennis as well.

"I was orginally put into tennis mainly out of convenience; my mom didn't feel like dealing with another sport," he said. "To be honest, I don't really think much was expected of me when I was originally put into tennis, but I'd say I turned out pretty well."

Indeed. After being home schooled, Hunter attended Cerritos College, where he became a junior college All-American, before transferring to Cal last year. Hunter compiled a 12-8 overall singles record at Cal, including 3-1 in the shortened dual-match season, playing No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles for the Bears.

Then the season suddenly ended in March.

"It was all very sudden," he said. "It all felt like it happened so fast. It was shocking that everything could end so abruptly."

College sports has yet to return to normal, and no one knows when or if normal will return.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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