Junior Ben Zink grew up with aspirations of someday taking up the family trade — tennis.

With an uncle who played professionally and a grandfather who never lost in college, the dream took root early on for Ben, but in the unlikeliest of places.

Ben grew up in Elizabethtown, Pa., in Amish country, where the best opportunity to pick up the game came from either his uncle’s lessons or playing against others his uncle had taught.

Ben’s uncle, George Zink, was ranked one of the top-500 players in the world in his playing days, and is now Director of Tennis at Bent Creek Country Club in Lititz, Pa., while continuing to play professionally. In 2005, George finished as the No. 1 U.S. player in the 35-over division and this year hopes to go to the 40-over championships in Turkey.

“Last year he played the Italia Cup, which is the equivalent of the Davis Cup for 35-and-over,” Ben said. “He’s still competing at a very high level. There are people who just retired who were No. 135 in the world, so the competition is very strong, even at that level.”

Amish country may not have a great number of opportunities to train for much more outside of recreational tennis or the best weather to play year-round, but Ben had his uncle down the road, just 20 minutes from his house, and with that asset at his disposal, Ben said he always had a lesson waiting.

“That’s where it all started. He’s so knowledgeable about the game. Even when you spend family time together, you still talk about tennis, and I’ve learned so much from him,” Ben said.

George said he noticed the talent Ben had when he was six or seven years old, and ever since then Ben has grown up around the sport.

“Ben knows a lot of tennis,” George said. “Ben’s history of tennis is amazing — his love of the game is really the reason he’s gotten to where he is. When he came home for Christmas he made me go out and practice twice a day.”

The Zink family’s patriarch, Ben’s grandfather, Frank Zink, was a self-taught tennis player and is the origin of the Zink family’s tennis tradition.After World War II, Frank came home and went to nearby Elizabethtown College, where he went four years without suffering a loss.

“My father was pretty much 100 percent the reason that I played tennis and stuck with tennis,” George said. “My father had a big influence on me, and I’ve tried to do the best I could to pass that on to Ben.”

Coach Jon Choboy remains in contact with George during the summer, when Ben goes back home to work at Bent Creek for his uncle and get in more practice.”We’ll talk about what Ben’s doing here and then take that over the summer and further it,” Choboy said. “He’ll communicate with me what’s happened over the summer and we’ll work in conjunction with each other that way.”

Even though Ben, who is now 14-2 in singles and 22-8 in doubles in his career for N.C. State, is distanced from Amish country, he still keeps in close contact with the person mostly responsible for getting involved the game.

Ben said the two talk about twice a week, checking with how he is doing and what parts of his game he is trying to improve.

“Ben and I talk about him staying positive and staying focused and if Ben does those things he can beat anyone on a given day,” George said. “Obviously in college, life comes at you different ways in your busy schedule and everything. I talk to him about compartmentalizing his life and moving forward.”

Ben remarked that his uncle was a “busy man” since George still sometimes plays in tournaments across the globe and is a father of three, but he hopes someday that their schedules would align so that George could one day catch one of his matches.

Ben’s grandfather has yet to see Ben play in college. Ben said that since he wouldn’t be in his situation without the help of his grandfather, he wished he too could make it to Raleigh to see him play.

“He’s having a little difficulty right now with his health, but he’s getting better,” Ben said. “Hopefully if my uncle comes down my whole family will come see me play this spring, which I’ll be really excited if they did.”

From one Zink to another, it’s an idea that all are looking forward to happening.

“He’s been like a son to me,” George said. “It’s just [a matter] of coordinating our schedules to see him play. But I plan on coming down this spring for sure.”