Alabama
Samford (DH)
Avi Shugar Is Ready to Roll into the Dual Match Season with Alabama Men’s Tennis This Weekend
1/15/2021 1:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Eugene, Ore., native and his teammates take on Samford on Saturday and North Alabama on Sunday in double headers each day
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – For Avi Shugar, it was a case of "like father, like son." Shugar's father, Richard, went cross country from his native Miami, Fla., to play tennis for the University of Oregon, while his son traded Eugene, Ore., for the warmer weather of Tuscaloosa to play for The University of Alabama.
And while it feels like he has always played the game, and despite it being something of a family tradition, a collegiate tennis career wasn't a given for Shugar.
"Tennis is something that I've been playing since I was five, but my dad has always encouraged me to play sports and try other things," he said. "I guess it was just something I gravitated towards."
So, he kept at it, continuing to play and improve as he moved through the ranks. Eventually he began to think about his next steps.
"I don't think it was until my first year of high school where I was like 'I want to take this game really seriously and go play collegiately.'"
When the time came to choose a college, Shugar was looking for fit over location, despite flipping the journey his father made in going from the south to the north west.
"I don't think the location was really important or something I was focused on, but I'm really happy with where I am," Shugar said.
Now in his second year, it didn't take Shugar long to embrace all that collegiate tennis has to offer.
"I love the competitive aspect of college tennis," Shugar said. "I love going out there and competing, especially with some of my best friends and teammates who are also trying to give their best. The whole experience, with everyone pushing each other to be better every day, is something that I relish and don't take for granted. I try to do that every day."
Following a lengthy break from competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shugar and his teammates have played in four tourneys since the school started in August, ending with last weekend's Bama Spring Shootout. Shugar closed the tourney with a tough three-set win.
"That was huge," Shugar said. "For me, the fall didn't go how I had hoped, so after the fall tournaments and during winter break, I put in a lot of work and I feel like it's all been building to this. I'm really glad I could come through with a win, but I'm also excited to see my work pay off. I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg and I'm going to continue to do what I'm doing and hopefully I'll see more results like that one."
This weekend, he and his teammates roll into the dual match portion of the season, opening with a double header against Samford on Saturday, with play starting at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., before taking on North Alabama in a pair of matches on Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
"Dual matchups are very intense, there's a lot on the line with each match and each match has its own importance. They're all equal," Shugar said. "When our whole team is oriented with the one goal of going out and winning, the energy level rises, and our competitive juices are flowing. That's something I have definitely missed (during the pandemic), being all on board together to get a win that day and I'm really looking forward to it."
Both the Samford and North Alabama matches will be played indoors in the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. Due to health and safety considerations in addition to the current guidelines, attendance at Alabama tennis home indoor competitions are closed to spectators. The matches are slated to be streamed live.
Get all the latest information on Alabama men's tennis by following AlabamaMTN on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
