Mike Mowatt had to adopt a golden standard from the moment he stepped into his latest coaching endeavor.
The Warriors were two-time defending state champions by the time he took the helm. Upon his arrival, they carried a 40-match winning streak.
Such expectations have only been upheld under his tutelage.
Brookline boys’ tennis earned a 3-2 triumph over Boston College High School on Wednesday in its regular season finale. The team showing secured something bigger than a 17-1 record for the 2025 Bay State Conference champions.
It signaled the 100th victory of Mowatt’s tenure.
“It’s big. We get good players, and I do my best to make them better players,” said the fifth-year coach. “I hope that happens.”
The longtime leader – previously having coached for 19 years combined at Oliver Ames and Xaverian – picked up the reins from predecessor Nick Pero ahead of the 2021 season. He was responsible for guiding the Warriors out of the COVID-19 pandemic, returning to the brand of tennis they had built in the years beforehand.
He immediately helped them to the pinnacle.
Brookline won the MIAA Division I state title in Mowatt’s first campaign while posting a second consecutive perfect season. In doing so, it became the first program to three-peat in Div. I since Lincoln-Sudbury from 1990 to 1992.
In the early stages of his direction, the team was untouchable. Their iron-clad streak beginning in 2018 reached 82 straight victories through 2022.
The Warriors are 100-8 overall – good for a 92.5% success rate – under Mowatt’s instruction. Across his four completed seasons, they’ve reached the championship match three times and never missed out on the state semifinals.
But he takes particular pride in what he’s taught his players beyond tennis itself.
“I make them better gentlemen also. Our behavior on the court and off the court is amazing,” Mowatt said. “I always get compliments from the other coaches, other parents, just talking about how our guys behave. And I’m proud of them for that.”
Brookline boys tennis huddles up before its match against Concord-Carlisle.Jack Nelson
Brookline earned the 2023 MIAA Team Sportsmanship Award for boys’ tennis, and per Mowatt, has been nominated again for 2025.
When asked about the meaning of the century wins achievement, he lauded his top players before any discussion of himself. There’s three who have long been poster boys for the tennis powerhouse.
Seniors Deven Devaiah, Kiran Bhatia and Ravin Bhatia are lineup stalwarts. They’ve spent all four of their high school years learning from Mowatt and continue to do one thing above all else.
They win.
In the case of the Bhatia twins, they’re 11-0 this season primarily at first doubles, as well as 63-2 all-time as a pairing. Mowatt’s hands-off approach with them speaks volumes.
“A lot of coaches (are) out there every single point trying to explain to their kids what to do, and I think our coach just trusts us to get it done,” said Ravin Bhatia. “When you have a coach like that, it gives you a lot of confidence in yourself.”
Kiran and Ravin Bhatia discuss between points at first doubles.Jack Nelson
Devaiah is 14-1 in his own right exclusively at the top court. The four-year starter and three-star recruit, per Tennis Recruiting Network, is responsible for over 80 individual victories throughout his time as a Warrior.
He’s the winningest player of Mowatt’s tenure, and on top of that, is the latest in a line of premier talents that have come through Brookline.
Older brother Jayanth Devaiah overlapped with the coach for two seasons and now plays for Notre Dame. Before him was Sam Feldman, who played for Brown from 2021 to 2024 following his senior season under Mowatt’s leadership.
Those figures are part of his story. The current chapter, though, is still being written.
Deven Devaiah goes for a forehand slice during a match at first singles.Jack Nelson
Brookline concluded the 2025 regular season with just one loss – to the undefeated defending Div. I state champions – and ranks No. 3 as of Tuesday’s MIAA power rankings.
With the state tournament beginning next week, the group will seek to claim the crown it’s fallen short of for each of the past three years.
Mowatt will be there every step of the way.
“I really can’t think of any other coach that I would have wanted to spend these four years with,” said Ravin Bhatia.
