The Lawrence Men’s Tennis Team is about to start their first game of the season. Three freshman will be playing their first tennis game as Vikings, which is pretty exciting, so go out and support them! The men’s tennis team’s goal for the season is to make conference. Conference takes place in Madison, Wis. However, it is very exclusive. Only the top four teams in the conference get to go! That means that you have to be among the best of the best. Last year the Vikings came in fourth place. With a lot of returning players, the outcome so far looks pretty good.
The team mostly consists of freshman and sophomores, meaning the program will continue to strengthen throughout these athletes’ remaining years. If a team with mostly freshman last year can make it to conference, which is pretty impressive, then who’s to say they cannot win the entire conference within just a few years? The tennis team’s strategy for this season and the years to come is to just take things one step at a time. But how do the athletes personally feel about this upcoming season?
In an interview with returning athlete and sophomore Andrea Arrivella he stated, “My goal for this season is to have as much play time as possible and work hard at every training session to perform better at every match.”
Athletes like Arrivella are known to have a growth mind-set. Having a growth mind-set means that you always work hard to improve because you believe you can make a change. However, others may have a fixed mind-set, which means people think that they cannot improve their abilities, whether it be physically, like talent, or mentally, like intellect.
Having a growth mind-set is important as an athlete, even if you are the best person on your team. If you lack it, you may never improve, meaning that you are limiting your capabilities, and will not become as successful as you could have been.
Arrivella also believes that it is important to play your best every time in order to improve yourself and your teammates. That, of course, also applies to a team’s line up, which is said to be very competitive on the tennis team.
When Arrivella was asked what he loves about playing tennis, he said, “I love everything about tennis, especially because it involves everything in your body: not just the legs and arms, but also lots of concentration. Every time you step on the court, you must be sharp at all times to have the right coordination with your decision.”
The most important skills in tennis that you need to know is that you need to remain calm while trusting yourself throughout the match.
Confidence is also an important skill to maintain, but too much of it is not necessarily good, either. If one were to become cocky, they may not practice as much, and when it comes time to perform they may slip, especially under the pressure.
Lastly, it’s important to maintain a positive attitude throughout the match. When playing doubles, the partners need to know that they trust each other.
One of the reasons why Andrea fell in love with tennis was because of Roger Federer. His playing style inspired him. As you start to progress through life, think to yourself: who is your muse and what will you become because of it?
