The stories behind some of Jordan Henry’s tennis victories are as mind-boggling as they are unebelievable.

There’s the time he forgot his own racket, so he borrowed one from a teammate and beat one of Clinton’s best players 6-3, 6-1.

Not so remarkable, except for the fact that Henry was a freshman at the time and the racket was a wooden antique belonging to the teammate’s mother’s.

Or the time Henry spiced up a match against Natchez by playing – and winning – left-handed.

More recently, Henry was beating a Vicksburg High teammate 5-0 in a practice match before she called it a day.

The catch?

He hit every shot in the match from between his legs.

Henry just laughs when it’s suggested that people might remember these stories years from now.

“You really think so?” he said. “That’d be nice.”

What would also be nice is a state championship trophy to display in his house. Henry finished second last year, and will take another stab at it beginning today when the Class 5A state tournament begins in Jackson.

The first and second rounds will be played today at Parham Bridges Tennis Center, while the semifinals and finals are Tuesday.

Henry won’t be playing left-handed or hitting circus shots for this tournament. He said he’ll need to be on his game to overcome a strong field that includes defending state champion Ryan Farlow of Madison Central.

“This tournament, I have to be aggressive and serve very well. That’s going to be the main factor for me,” Henry said.

A few years ago, there seemed to be no doubt that Henry would have won a state title by now. He was ranked No. 24 in the country among 12-year-olds at one time, won youth tournaments on a regular basis, and played doubles for Vicksburg’s high school team as a seventh-grader.

He also played baseball, however, and cut back on tennis to focus on that sport. He became the starting second baseman for Vicksburg as a freshman and played shortstop this season. Whereas tennis was his life when he was younger, it’s more of a fun diversion now, he said.

“I didn’t give it up completely, but I’ve been playing baseball a lot longer than tennis and it’s a lot more fun,” he said. “People always say I would have (been great). I guess I’ll never know. If I had kept playing and been ranked near the top I might have had a chance to play in college somewhere.”

As it is, Henry might be one of the best part-time tennis players the state has ever seen.

Because the baseball and tennis seasons coincide, Henry usually shows up only for tennis matches. VHS coach Kevin Manton joked that Henry showed up for two tennis practices during baseball season – one more than he attended last year.

And yet Henry only lost one match this season, to Farlow.

“I used to play all the time as a little kid, so I guess it just comes naturally to me,” Henry said. “Sometimes I play better with two months off than I have if I’ve been playing the whole time.”

So the extra practice Henry has been getting lately could push him over the top this week. Since the Gators bowed out of the baseball playoffs in the first round, and the tennis tournament was scheduled a week later than usual, he has gotten two full weeks of practice and a few matches to hone his game.

He just hasn’t gotten a lot of help from his teammates. Junior Eric Holland said he found a way to hang with Henry, at least during doubles matches.

“I just try to hit it to Matthew (Campbell) all the time,” Holland said, referring to Henry’s practice partner.