Penelope Gordon was 3 years old when her grandfather handed her a beginner’s racket, a pair of wristbands and a headband.

“I had the whole setup,” Gordon said.

Her grandfather, who picked up tennis as a young man before stepping away and returning to the sport later in life, was the one who introduced her to the game. He’s 79 now and still competing. He recently won the Helen Drake Invitational in men’s 80s singles. And for years, when Gordon was learning the sport alongside him, he never once let her win.

• “Not once. Ever,” Gordon said.

When she was down, whether by two points or trailing 0-5 in a set, he had the same message for her every time: She was just setting herself up for a miraculous comeback.

“He’s just always there to push me and believe in me,” she said.

That belief has carried Gordon a long way. Now a junior at Fort Walton Beach High School, she’s playing No. 1 singles for the Vikings and has posted a 13-1 record this season. She and doubles partner Reese Armstrong are undefeated at 14-0, and the team is in the middle of a postseason run after beating Suwannee 7-0 in the FHSAA 2A regional semifinal.

But the path to No. 1 wasn’t handed to her.

Gordon started playing competitively in sixth grade at Liza Jackson Preparatory School and got serious about pursuing college tennis as a freshman at Fort Walton Beach. For her first two years, Armstrong held the top singles spot. So Gordon went to work in the offseason, putting in 20 hours a week on the court. When challenge matches came around this fall, she beat Armstrong twice in a row and took over the No. 1 position.

• “Reese is just a great teammate too,” Head Coach Pat Markey said. “It made them even stronger together as a doubles team.”

Gordon also found confidence from an unexpected place. She decided to compete in girls weightlifting and won her weight division at districts before advancing to regionals.

“It made her stronger and a better athlete, but it also gave her a confidence that she hadn’t had before,” Markey said. “Trying something new and excelling at it really did good for her.”

That confidence showed up on the tennis court in her serve, her return and her overall power. But the biggest jump in Gordon’s game this season came from a loss.

Her only defeat was a 2-6, 1-6 result against a Rutherford opponent during the regular season. It stung, not because she played poorly, but because she felt she had played well and was still outmatched.

• “That was me playing really well and she still was able to outplay me,” Gordon said. “I needed more strategy. My shots were good in that match, but she was just playing smarter than I was.”

Gordon went back and studied film of the match. When she played again at districts, the difference was clear. She constructed points more deliberately, placing thought into every shot rather than relying on ability alone.

“That was easily one of the smartest matches I’ve played in my entire life,” she said. “My shots have been pretty steady this season, but with the addition of that extra thinking, I felt like that was a big jump for me.”

Off the court, Gordon is just as driven. She’s enrolled in AP calculus and AP physics, takes an engineering class and was named one of Okaloosa County’s 2025 Sunshine State Scholars, an annual recognition of the top 11th-grade STEM students in each Florida school district.

• “I really love math and science,” Gordon said. “That’s really what I’m focused on.”

She’s exploring college programs where she can play tennis and pursue academics, with several schools on her radar.

When she’s not on the court or in the classroom, Gordon said life is pretty straightforward.

“Mostly tennis,” she said, laughing. “But I love going to the beach, hiking, and spending time outside.”

Gordon grew up in the Fort Walton Beach area. Her family on her father’s side has been here for generations, and her dad is a Choctaw graduate. She joked that while the family loyalties run deep on that side, they still show up to cheer her on as a Viking.

• “They’re not big fans,” Gordon said with a smile. “But they’ll still come watch me.”

She said the team at Fort Walton Beach is a close group, one where everyone supports each other and no one feels weighed down by pressure.

“Nobody feels like, ‘Oh, it’s on me,’ or ‘Everyone’s gonna be mad at me,'” Gordon said. “Everyone just cares about everybody else. I think that contributes to why we’re so successful.”

Markey said Gordon’s growth has extended beyond her game. After spending her first two years behind Armstrong in the lineup, she’s stepped into a larger leadership role this season, something Markey expects to continue into her senior year.

“She’s a very accomplished young lady, and her confidence has really taken off,” Markey said. “This year you can see her starting to take control.”

Gordon said she’s proud to represent Fort Walton Beach.

• “Fort Walton has so many kind, supportive people,” she said. “Playing for them and representing Fort Walton is an honor for me.”

Markey said the best may still be ahead, for Gordon and for the team.

“Last year, we put our toe in the water,” Markey said. “This year, we’re jumping in that pool.”