DERRY — Like most kids growing up in England, Arav Mahajan’s first love was soccer. But after a torn meniscus in his left knee sidelined him for good, he had to find a new path. That path led him to the tennis court — and he hasn’t looked back since.
When his family moved to the U.S. in elementary school, soccer was still his go-to sport. But the injury changed everything. Tennis, which had been more of a casual hobby back in England, quickly became his new athletic obsession. With lessons, grit, and a deep desire to improve, Mahajan climbed the ranks at Pinkerton High School. Now in his fourth varsity season, he’s gone from the No. 4 singles spot as a freshman to the No. 1 singles player for the second straight year.
And his success isn’t limited to the court. Mahajan is currently ranked No. 1 out of roughly 350 students in his graduating class of 2026. His academic résumé is just as impressive as his tennis one: he’s on the waiting list for three Ivy League universities and has already been accepted to seven others. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and four other national academic groups, serves as the Communications Leader for the Astros’ Leadership Council of Athletics, tutors peers in math, and has volunteered at two local hospitals.
Recently, Mahajan helped lead his school’s Quiz Bowl team to a state championship, earned Gold at the HOSA State Championship, and was a semi-finalist in the USA Biology Olympiad. He even wrote a research paper on “Emerging Therapies for Mitochondrial Dysfunction” for the Cambridge Centre for International Research. On graduation night, June 12 — around the same time he hopes to lead the tennis team to its first state tournament appearance since his freshman year — he’s set to deliver the valedictory address.
“We are more than twice as big as any other school in New Hampshire, so to be numero uno academically at Pinkerton is quite a feat,” said tennis coach Toby Frank.
Frank has watched Mahajan grow into a formidable player. As a freshman, Mahajan held down the No. 4 spot on a team stacked with 12 seniors and two juniors. The Astros made the state tournament that year, falling to Keene, but Mahajan won his match. “The next year he led our team in wins,” Frank added. “Then junior and senior years he moved to the No. 1 spot. I think that says a lot about him as a player.”
Interestingly, before his soccer injury, Mahajan didn’t even know the rules of tennis. “I started playing for fun with my dad when I was three years old back in England,” he said. “I knew how to play and had pretty good form, but honestly I didn’t know the rules. I had to learn the rules and just the fundamentals of the sport.”
Now, as an only child and the top-ranked student in his class, Mahajan is a true ace both on the courts and in the classroom. His story is a powerful reminder that setbacks can lead to new beginnings — and that hard work, whether in academics or athletics, always pays off.