Best Friends & Brothers: Memories Taken to the Maxx
Saturday, April 11, 2015 | Men's Tennis, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The loss in a Chattanooga tournament was still fresh in their minds as the two Tennessee youth tennis standouts, Maxx Lipman and Sean Karl, started out on the drive back to their homes in Nashville. The doubles duo did not lose often, so it was time to process the match with some in-depth analysis.
What did they focus on during the 140-mile trek back?
Outer space.
“We spent two and half hours talking about something we knew absolutely nothing about,” Lipman recalled. “I told him his theory was flawed. He told me the same thing. That's the way it was with us.”
No mention of backhands, volleys or service aces.
It's memories like this one that Lipman, now a Florida sophomore, cherishes most when his thoughts -- and there are many -- turn to Karl, the childhood best friend he lost far too soon.
Karl, 20, died Nov. 16, 2014, following a lengthy battle with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that targets mostly adolescents and young adults. Karl was diagnosed in October 2012 and underwent chemotherapy treatments to the point of remission, allowing him to begin his tennis career at the University of Tennessee. The disease returned, however, within a year.
Four days after Karl's passing, a memorial service was staged at the Goodfriend Tennis Center In Knoxville, where Lipman, the Gator, read an emotional eulogy about his friend who not only doubled as a doubles partner, but a brother, as well.
“Through Sean's illness and the recovery, all the ups and downs, we kind of saw it all through Maxx,” Florida coach Bryan Shelton said. “We were all hopeful he was going to turn the corner, but then it just became very difficult. It was like riding a roller-coaster of emotions.”
The 17th-ranked Gators will be at UT Sunday for the final Southeastern Conference match of the season. Lipman won't be the only one at Barksdale Stadium with his thoughts on Karl.
Many a Volunteers fan will recall fondly Lipman's words from last November.
“Sean and I grew up and matured together. We became excellent tennis players together. 'Together,' being the biggest, most important part. Together we accomplished amazing things. Without Sean, I would not be the tennis player or, more importantly, the person I am today. I can remember the countless hours we spent on the tennis courts. Some were absolutely worthless. Others were grueling. All together, they constitute my favorite memories. I'm thankful to have a best friend like Sean. Because of our competitiveness, it forced me to work harder. I can only hope that each and every person in this room was fortunate enough to have a friend like Sean. He made me better on the court and in life. For that, I will be eternally grateful.”
The two first met when they were nine years old. Though they lived on opposite sides of Nashville, Lipman and Karl trained at the centrally located Brentwood Swim and Tennis Club at Wildwood. They became fixtures at each other's homes for sleepovers. Their families became extended family.
“We were basically inseparable during our teenage years,” Lipman said. 
As close as the two were, they were also rivals on the court. The way Lipman remembers it, rarely would one get the better of the other in consecutive matches. It was back and forth. Even in the run-up to the state championship. Only one player could advance out of the region. Karl, at one point the No. 1-ranked junior player in the nation, won it as a sophomore and went on to win it all. Lipman went as a junior and won it all.
Then Karl got sick their senior year.
He wasn't the type to complain much, but the pain in Karl's back just would not go away. Upon a doctor's visit in October 2012, he was sent to the emergency room and tests revealed the onset of Ewing's. The treatment was grueling, but the prognosis was positive, as the cancer went into remission. Karl showed up at Tennessee for his freshman season in 2013 and won five of 12 fall matches before the cancer returned.
Yet in between treatments, Karl was a fixture at UT tennis practices and always remained upbeat; for himself and those around him.
“I didn't see him as much over the last year because I was [at UF], but his outlook and attitude never changed,” Lipman said. “I know it's easy to say he was positive and all, but honestly, never hearing him say, 'I'm really struggling today' when everyone knew he was in unbearable pain -- sometimes even struggling to remain conscious. Instead, he'd ask how you were doing; how you were playing. I just think that's a testament to his character and why he affected people so positively.”
Though Karl would not have wanted it, his plight impacted Lipman's performance for the Gators. Last year, as a freshman, Lipman went 26-8 in overall singles matches while playing mostly at No. 3.
He entered his sophomore season as Florida's team co-captain and playing in the No. 1 spot, but is now 7-10 in the outdoor season and competing at No. 4. 
“Maxx has had a tough go, both personally and with his tennis. I mean, a lot of things really fell into place for him as a freshman and then -- wham! -- a lot of things started happening his sophomore year, not a lot of which were positive,” UF coach Bryan Shelton said. “Maxx if a very cerebral guy and he has a lot of thoughts in his head that have prevented him from just going out and playing free. He's a thoughtful, high-character kid. Things hit him hard and deeply, so this has been part of the struggle for him this season.”
Now, with a trip home to Tennessee and site of a lifetime's worth of emotions, maybe those things can come full circle.
“It's a date that's been marked on my calendar from the moment I saw it on the schedule,” Lipman said. “It's going to be an emotional weekend for me, but also a weekend where people can come together and honor Sean as a friend and the person he was.”
With maybe some talk of outer space.
Better yet ... heaven.
