Pio Ryu (11) could feel it: his breath shortening, his heart racing, his grip growing tighter around his racket, March 4. Every single sensation felt overwhelming as his opponent flipped the scoreboard to 4-3, adding a game and leaving Ryu falling behind, one down. Taking a tennis ball out of his pocket, Ryu bounced it up and down rhythmically, regaining his composure before finally lining up his serve. He let his hands glide into muscle memory as he swung the racket precisely toward the far end of the court. Ryu grinned; he felt it again. At first, he thought it was nervousness, anxiety, panic; no. It was something entirely different.
Excitement.
“I felt a bit stressed when I went down 4-3, but I decided to take the advice that I often give to my little brother — I told myself to relax and to have fun,” Ryu said. “I went back to basics and just focused on moving my opponent around while trying my best not to miss.”
For their third scrimmage of the season, boys tennis took on Mt. Carmel, winning 11-7 overall. Individually, Ryu won both of his matches: the first 6-0 and the second 6-4.
“I’m quite happy with how the team performed,” he said. “A win is always a good result and a good indicator for the upcoming season.”
Mt. Carmel, historically, has lost consistently to Westview. However, Ryu said it’s never good to underestimate an opponent. Having been chosen as one of two captains this year, one of his goals is to make sure the team puts their all into every game.
“Certainly on paper, we’ve always won against Mt. Carmel,” he said. “But at the same time, you have to work hard for every single point. As a team [this time], we lost one or more games that we shouldn’t have [lost]. We just need to make sure that we are never taking any match for granted. Because if we are working for every match and making sure that we are achieving as close to perfection as possible, in the long run, we are going to end up winning more.”
Co-captain Julian Yang (12) agreed that the team, including himself, could have done better. Yang was presented with an unexpected challenge and lost his match.
“I came in confident, but then I was sacrificed to be a singles player,” Yang said. “I’m more of a team player, so when I play doubles, I’m not nervous at all. When you have a partner, you have someone on the court with you to crash out with. But, in singles, you’re alone and it’s all in your head. So, I thought [the scrimmage] was going to be easy, but it was kind of hard.”
In contrast, Zachary Fann (12) said he felt in his element while playing singles, winning all three of his matches. Having been on varsity tennis since his freshman year, Fann said he’s proud of his performance and wishes to continue developing his skills.
“Over the years, I’ve gotten a lot more consistent as a player and better at serving,” Fann said. “I still want to improve hitting drop shots that bring the ball up to the net, so I can easily hit it past [my opponent], and [keep learning] to be more strategic with my hits.”
Fann said he is looking forward to growing alongside the team in his last tennis season. He said the camaraderie between members was a big reason why he has stayed — a sentiment both Yang and Ryu said they share.
“I enjoy playing tennis, but I also just wanted to stick with the team for the past four years,” Fann said. “Playing alongside [my teammates] is something I’ll miss.”
As the season kicks off, Yang can’t help but have high hopes.
“The last time we won CIFs was three years ago and since then, we’ve made it really close,” Yang said. “It’d definitely be nice to end off my high school tennis career with one final victory. ”
Ultimately, however, Ryu said he just wants the team to have a good experience.
“I want us to go all the way and hopefully win CIFs,” Ryu said. “It’s certainly possible with the amount of talent and drive we have. I love tennis. I really do. So, I just want to make sure that the team is always having fun, as much as I am. If people aren’t enjoying what they’re doing, I think it’s a big waste of time. Life is too short for that.”
