Spring has arrived and so that means the start of the high school boys tennis season has begun. Greendale competes in the Woodland Conference and looks to make a splash in the conference. They work hard day in and day out to improve their craft.
A common factor in success, not just tennis teams, but sports teams in general, is that they have an almost family type feel to their team.
“Something that makes this team different from other teams is that I feel like there’s a good sense of community within the team and everyone’s pretty tight-knit,” senior #1 singles player Thomas Hanlon said.
Tennis is a game of matchups. There are some strong teams in the conference, and people on the tennis team hope to make their presence known.
“My toughest match this year I think will be against New Berlin Eisenhower,” Hanlon said. “Their one singles player is probably my biggest competitor in the conference, so I’d like to win the match against him this year.”
Tennis takes a lot of smarts and preparation. Athletes have to think of a plan and try their best to execute it to hopefully come out of the match with a win.
“I prepare for matches the best by visualizing myself and laying out multiple plans for scoring and strategies,” senior tennis player Ansh Paranjiya said. “I take pride in my craft so I want to be as well prepared as I can so I have the best chance I can of winning my matches.
Many players on the team have been playing the sport for a number of years. They have some deep ties to the sport.
“I joined tennis because I took a tennis lesson when I was 8,” Paranjiya said. “I had fun then so I did it for fun and I was right, it was indeed fun. I’m excited for the season.”
On a sports team it is important that you feel backed by your teammates. The tennis team does a great job of that and making sure that everyone on the team feels backed.
“I feel supported by my teammates a lot because they push me at practice,” junior Pavle Dragicevic said. “They make me a better player because they motivate me.”
There is a belief around the tennis squad that this team is special. There are aspirations for big goals that can change the history of the Greendale tennis team forever.
“My goal is to do well in the conference and try to win my doubles match,” Dragicevic said. “I think I have a good chance to win and I’m excited.”
As the season goes on and conference and state comes up, as a school we wish the tennis team good luck.
