Net News, Volume 5
1/15/2022 10:02:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Happy New Year
We officially start the new tennis season this Saturday, January 15. The preparation for our team began last summer and throughout the fall with plenty of hours of training on the court, in the gym, competing in tournaments here, near and afar as well as making sure our academics stayed on point throughout the semester. After what seemed to be a long holiday break to refresh our minds and bodies, we all have safely returned to campus and anxiously awaited our opening match day. We welcome a pair of teams to Tuscaloosa on Saturday, both from the Southern Conference. We face the Mercer Bears at 1 p.m. CT followed by the Samford Bulldogs at 6 p.m. CT. Both matches will be contested indoors at the "R.A.B." (Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility) where it will be warm and dry with all fans welcome. We strongly encourage everyone to wear a mask while in attendance as we continue to tackle the relentless pursuit of the Covid variants.
Our roster features eight players from eight different countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Finland, Germany, Slovenia, Ukraine and the United States. When you include the coaching staff, you can add another pair of nations to the mix (Bulgaria, Uruguay). We are quite the diverse group but we all speak one language, and have one common goal…to COMPETE. Easier said than done but that's the challenge we face daily, weekly, monthly and annually. In order to be excellent competitors, we must be prepared, focused and willing to improve each day during practice. As the saying goes, "practice makes perfect," but what is required is more of a standard than a simple statement written down on a white board. Practice is where competing is learned, challenged and demanded. A competitive practice is where a willingness to be uncomfortable, to impose discomfort on a teammate and ultimately to suffer and improve together allows us to be successful on match day. Our guys are ready to keep the process going and trade in the dress rehearsals for the main event.
We have a challenging season ahead that features 11 home contests, five non-conference (Mercer, Samford, Oklahoma State, Memphis, UAB) and six SEC duals (Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina). We'll compete in a pair of doubleheaders (January 15 & February 5) and for the most part keep a Friday-Sunday schedule. First serves in the afternoon get struck at 1 p.m. while evening programs begin at 6 p.m. We'll compete indoors in January and February and then move the action outdoors beginning with Ole Miss on March 11. For those that want to travel with the Tide to some nearby competition sites, our squad will participate in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Starkville, Miss., at the end of January and also travel to Montgomery, Ala., for the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in late February (always a super fun & intense event). The SEC Championships will be hosted by the University of Georgia in April and the final site for the NCAA team and individual championships take places at the University of Illinois in Champaign in May.
So plenty of opportunities for our youthful and determined squad to carry the baton that was handed to them by the senior class of 2021. They are hungry and very excited especially after a fall semester that saw them build their games on court, grow stronger and faster in the gym and gain some knowledge in classes. Speaking of which, our team grade point average for the fall was 3.83 - top mark among all Alabama sports teams. While a GPA doesn't necessarily win you championships, the competitive mindset for this program extends beyond the baseline. It's not just a tennis thing but rather an expectation and standard that these guys have embraced.
So come out and meet the new kids on the block, as well as welcome back sophomore Rudi Christiansen and senior Patrick Kaukovalta. All matches will be streamed indoors and outdoors with live stats throughout the season as well as be updated on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook). The Crimson Racket Club is accepting memberships and the hospitality suite will provide pre-packaged snacks and drinks at all home matches. You can join online at www.crimsonracketclub.org today.
We look forward to seeing you in the stands and together celebrating another fun season of Alabama Tennis.
Roll Tide,
George
Players Mentioned
