Baseball was his first love.

His father is to blame for his tennis career.

"As a kid, I played a lot of baseball. Baseball was actually my main sport, but then my dad started playing tennis," Chris Jenkins said. "I would tag along with him, and he would take time to hit with me."

Christopher Charles Jenkins, now the senior captain who mans the No. 3 singles position for 25th-ranked Arizona, has rarely second-guessed his decision to play.

"I got lucky my parents never put any pressure on me. They have always been supportive with my career," Jenkins said.

The 22-year-old was born in Phoenix, but moved to Denver when he was 2.

Jenkins started playing tennis when he was 10, a relatively late age for tennis players to begin. At 14, Jenkins started his competitive career. He never had a personal trainer, and lessons were too expensive, so his instruction came from pure dedication to the sport and countless hours on the court.

"I used to pack a lunch and go to the courts from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. I would be gone all day," Jenkins said. "I think that I had some natural ability, but mainly it was just having fun that helped me. I never had the prettiest strokes or the nicest game, but I use my mind and my competitiveness."

Jenkins was a late-bloomer in the tennis world, not peaking until he turned 17.

"I was a clown in Colorado tennis until my first year of 18-year-old tennis," Jenkins said.

Jenkins was ranked as high as 34th in the nation after his first year on the national junior circuit. With most of the top players growing out of the division, Jenkins was predicted to excel by his senior year.

At Wheatridge High School, Jenkins played the No. 1 position and led his team to the 5A state title.

"My goal was to be in the top 15 in the country," Jenkins said.

Jenkins began playing the summer tournaments with a great deal of confidence but found himself struggling as he lost to players that he had beaten before. The thought of giving up tennis altogether crossed his mind.

"I ended up having a horrible year. Coach Wright (UA head coach Bill Wright) really gave me a break," Jenkins said. "I wanted to go to a good program, and after how I had played, he gave me a huge break."

"Chris was too good not to play tennis at the college level. He has worked so hard on his game and improving over the years," Wright said.

Competing for the Wildcats since he was a freshman, Jenkins has accumulated 59 wins for the program to date. At the beginning of this year, Jenkins started the season 11-0, breaking into the rankings at No. 69 for the first time in his career.

"The biggest reason that I play tennis is because I'm a competitor at heart. I love that rush of competition, and tennis gives me that rush," Jenkins said.

Jenkins has solidified himself at the No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles positions with an 18-8 overall record. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound left-hander was named captain this year, taking over a team that had the addition of two players.

"As far as teams go, we are pretty close. They are not only my teammates, but they are my close friends," Jenkins said. "I definitely think of this year's team as a close-knit family."

In a sport where players grow up playing as individuals, Jenkins has brought the team together.

"Players come into college having always played for themselves, and one of the hardest things to change is no longer playing for me, me, me, but rather, now, for we, we, we," Jenkins said.

At the conclusion of this year, Jenkins plans to graduate with a degree in exercise science.

Jenkins can see himself as an ATP tournament director someday, but regardless, he knows that whatever he decides on, it will involve sports.

"Tennis makes you tough. The sport is parallel to life. Just like in business or in life, you have to be tough, mentally. You have to be resilient," Jenkins said. "You have to be able to bounce back from getting your butt kicked one day and perform the next."