Wakefield’s varsity men’s tennis team has had a painless past couple of years with four conference championships won in a row. Starting off the season with 43 wins, the men’s tennis team has high hopes for adding another win to their streak. With their hopes set high for the season going forward, their success is vital.

With senior Connor McCloud as captain, the team has lofty expectations to continue their winning ways. McCloud has little concerns regarding the team’s skill and has outlined that they plan on succeeding yet again this year.

“We’re four-year undefeated conference champions,” McCloud said. “We have a great coach and great players.”

When the team has a motivated, energic captain, these expectations are also shed onto the team. Thai Nguyen is a sophomore at Wakefield and has been playing on the men’s tennis team since his freshman year. Nguyen knows the road to success is not easy and is ready for the challenges that the rest of this season will bring.

“We’ve had a few tough matches, so we’re working on building up our abilities and becoming stronger that way,” Nguyen said. 

However, these defeats do not affect the team’s confidence in winning. Clay McArthur is a senior on the men’s tennis team and believes that when it comes to perseverance, nothing can bring the team down. 

“We played a lot of really hard teams at the start of the season,” McArthur said. “There’s nothing really to overcome, we are just good enough to go at it the next time and win.”

After losing to Broughton and Leesville in their first couple of matches, the men’s tennis team did not let these losses negatively affect them. Players like Amir El-Kaissi, a sophomore, are aware of the challenges when it comes to competing with other schools that have a winning track record. 

“Our first match, we played Leesville, who were state champions, which was tough,” El-Kaissi said. “But if we all play well, we have a chance of beating them.”

As Wakefield continues on with their season, the men’s tennis team focuses on keeping their eyes on the prize: winning the 6th Northern Atlantic. It is important to the players that they keep a strong bond with each other, and do not let mishaps along the way get the best of them. 

“It is important to lead a group of people I have so many memories and victories with,” McCloud said. “It is important to continue our team’s legacy.”