If you listen to Columbia tennis standout Justin Chow explain his story, you will realize that his success comes neither from his technical skill with a racquet nor from his tactical skills on the court. Instead, the foundation of Chow’s game and personality is built off one word, humility.

It is a lesson that Chow, a senior cocaptain this year, learned the hard way after suffering a rotator cuff and labral tear in a freak collision on the tennis court as a sophomore. Facing nine months of intensive rehab, Chow questioned his own desire to come back, and communicated this to his brother Oscar, CC ’03, who was a three-time All-Ivy Player and an All-American tennis player at Columbia.

“I told my brother that I wasn’t sure if I could put in the effort to compete at the collegiate level anymore,” said Chow, “and Oscar told me, ‘Being on the team for four years is in and of itself, already a success.’”

Oscar went on to explain that as a player at Columbia, he admired and respected the players who were on the team for four years, but got little or no playing time.

“He showed me that life is more about the effort and being satisfied with it, than it is about the success,” said Chow, “and he showed me how to use that humility to make me a better tennis player, which never hurts.”

For Justin, a native of Vancouver, Canada, his tennis adventures began at age three, when his mother implored his father to get more exercise. His father bought two $20 racquets from the local sports store and took Justin’s then eight-year-old brother Oscar to play.

“Oscar fell in love with the sport,” he said “and I just came along for the ride.”

As a junior, Justin achieved a top-10 ranking in Canada and began looking at colleges that could accommodate his needs both academically and athletically.

“When you spend your whole junior life flying around North America playing tennis tournaments, it’s hard to throw that away at college,” said Chow. “Even if you get burnt out, you still love the game.”

Chow chose Columbia in part because of his dedication to his academic pursuits, and because of head coach Bid Goswami.

“As an individual, Coach Goswami has had one of the biggest impacts on life,” Chow said.

Chow fondly described Goswami’s kindness and gentle heart as attributes that he seeks to teach all of his players. “Bid has been like a father away from home, and he treats you exactly like that, like family. He cares a lot about tennis, but even more about your personal life and that is a lot of effort on his part.”

Chow’s on-court trials would begin right away—as a freshman, he was forced to sit out the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. Then, as a sophomore, Chow collided with his doubles teammate during the fall season and tore two muscles in his shoulder. The injury would require surgery and nine months of rehab, and throughout the process no one stood by Chow like his head coach.

“Bid put his neck out on the line for me,” Chow said. “At another school, I would have been long gone. He treated me like his own son, and I felt that I owed it to myself and to Columbia to give it 110 percent.”

Chow rehabbed for nine months and missed his entire sophomore season, but not once during that time did he miss a match, or a chance to cheer his teammates on to victory. In fact, it was in this time off that Chow realized just how much the game of tennis meant to him.

“I wasn’t the same person, and the people close to me noticed it. I knew something was wrong, something was missing from my life, and it didn’t take me long to realize I missed competitive tennis,” Chow said. “But, a lot of people don’t appreciate what they have in front of them, and my time off gave me a sense of appreciation. I had a lot of time to think about what my brother said, and it definitely made me a different person.”

The summer before his junior year, Chow made a decision that would change his life. Despite receiving two lucrative job offers, he dedicated his entire summer to rehab and training. He estimates that he trained over 60 hours per week, every week for the entire summer. Chow woke up early for running and conditioning, as well as for frequent trips to the gym. He practiced daily with his brother and also hit with the Columbia assistant coaches.

The hard work and dedication that Chow put into his rehab paid dividends during his junior year. That season, he earned an overall singles record of 9-3 and went 6-1 in the Ivy League at number six singles. The culmination for Chow, and the Columbia men’s tennis team as a whole, came in the Ivy League playoff match that would determine the Ivy League champion for that season. With Columbia clinging to a 3-2 lead against rival Penn, Chow won the deciding match that crowned the Lions Ivy League champions and propelled them to the NCAA tournament.

“Winning the Ivy Title is among the top five greatest achievements of my life,” he said. “Winning that match meant a lot to me. It was a sense of satisfaction. I had worked really hard to come back, and I felt that I deserved it. We weren’t the most talented team, but we wanted it the most, and in the end that showed.”

This season, the inspirational tale has continued to grow for Chow. Alongside partner Bogdan Borta, he earned his first ever trip to a national level doubles tournament and secured the number one doubles ranking in the Northeast going into the Ivy League season. While the script remains unwritten for his senior season, Chow can only hope that his Hollywood story continues.