Wakefield’s men’s varsity tennis team has been playing hard and having fun. Coach Ken Stewart and his players are having a great season with a 10-0 win streak in the conference and 11-3 overall. Now, the conference champs are coming back to dominate the courts.
Student-athletes live their double life and use it to become great. They take lessons from tennis to an essay or a math equation to the court. Using their sport to help better themselves and the program as a whole is a large goal for these athletes. Senior Griffin Cloninger has been continuously inspired by this.
“Playing tennis definitely played a role in me becoming more of a leader,” Cloninger said. “It taught me the meaning of perseverance so we’ve just been more locked in and we have a goal to go back-to-back conference champs.”
Team morale and team chemistry are some of the most crucial factors heading into any match. The Wolverines are working hard to develop a close bond. Whether it be lunch after matches, in practice, or during games, these teammates become and remain close friends. Sophomore Weston Shrimanker can attest to this.
“The captains have played a big role in my come-up,” Shrimanker said. “They helped get the players together in practice and outside of practices too. It’s like there is a new level of chemistry.”
The best comes to those who want it and are determined to get it. The amazing sport of tennis will have you hooked to be the best. From there, greatness comes. This is something that Captain Duy-Thai Nguyen has achieved throughout all his years of playing.
“I started in elementary school because my brother played,” Nguyen said. “Now, it is the passion and the motivation from the team that keeps me running.”
Setting goals helps athletes move forward; this is no exception for this team. With their goal in mind, the team is moving forward every single day to get to their goal of the conference championship.
“One of our main tenants is that we’d like to extend our limitations,” Stewart said. “We want to get better every day; whether that’s tennis, school or friendship. We’re extending those limitations and just trying to be better people, better tennis players.”
To be the best, you have to think like the best. This is what makes the team a force to be reckoned with. It takes more than hitting a ball with a racket to be good at tennis. The time, training and mentality that these athletes have makes them stronger. This has been putting them on the road to becoming the next Coco Gauff.
“You don’t want to go in with that underdog mentality,” Shrimanker said. “You want to go in like you’re the favorite and you’re there to handle business and win by being confident in you and your teammates.”
All of the hard work is paying off as the season starts to close, and the players are proud to be a part of their team, especially senior Rene Garza.
“It’s all about the W,” Garza said.
