The sharp crack of tennis balls meeting rackets echoed across the courts. The squeak of rubber soles on the smooth clay. The air thick with the scents of fresh-cut grass, sports drinks, and the unmistakable rubbery aroma of new tennis balls. This will be the atmosphere of the Indiana State Tennis Tournament, the culmination of North Tennis’ efforts. For sophomore Alex Zeng, these efforts have been a long time in the making.
“I play every week, so I’ve been playing since the start of this year,” Zeng said.
Sophomore Richard Sun started his work at a similar time.
“I train year-round, so somewhere around the first Saturday of January [I started],” Sun said.
Head Coach Kendal Hammel said the importance of hard work, a philosophy that he has built his coaching style around.
“My coaching process would be that if you have put the hard work in then good things will follow,” Hammel said. “The more you’re out practicing, playing, drilling, competing, and conditioning the better player you will be.”
While Hammel believes that individual hard work is certainly impactful, he also elaborates on the importance of the desire to want to be better, both on an individual and team level.
“[I tell my players to] learn from each other,” Hammel said. “Push each other to be better. Understand what it takes as 1 player and a team of players to achieve the goals and results we have had. It’s a process from year to year and each person has to have the pride and desire to do better and be better.”
Sophomore Shashu Sabapathy shares that in addition to the team’s raw desire to be better, the team’s deep level of skill aids them in their ability to win games.
“We are able to perform because we have one of the best players in the state, which helps our lineup by putting a great number two singles player against other teams,” Sabapathy said. “We also have a relatively close skill level around the team, which provides a well-rounded matchup against others.”
Sun said that the team’s confidence not only comes from the team’s skill, but their access to some of the best resources in all of Indiana.
“Columbus has probably one of the best environments for competitive tennis in all of Indiana,” Sun said. “Columbus has an amazing number of talented coaches, a lot of talented players, and a lot of public and private resources. CNHS has also been consistently ranked in the top 5 tennis high schools, and we have some of the best players in the state playing for our team.”
Hammel felt strongly that the team is prepared and ready for the tournament, but noted that their success will be based on their draw.
“We have been tested and we will be very confident going into the state tournament,” Hammel said. “It’s all about the draw. We won’t blow any of the good top teams away but we will believe that we can compete with anyone. The team is ready. They are already talking about possible match ups. We have to trust each other, support each other, and believe that each spot can make a difference for the team’s success.”
Ganesan further elaborates on the team’s degree of motivation.
“Our varsity squad is very strong, with some top players in every position, but what sets us apart is the determination we have to win North’s first state title,” Ganesan said.
Sabapathy aims to make the coach’s and teams efforts not feel obsolete, and feels confident in the team’s ability to do so.
“I want to be a part of a team that has accomplished something,” Sabapathy said. “I think I owe it to my coach for putting so much time and effort into us to try our hardest to work towards a state title in the team division for North. I feel like it is possible this year with a great team this year.”
Similarly, Zeng feels very confident in the team’s odds and in what sets them apart from their peers.
“I think the determination to win, the will to not lose, sets us apart from other teams this year,” Zeng said. “We’ve already beaten people ranked above this, who says we can’t win it all?”
