It is almost spring and with the change of seasons come the men’s tennis season. To fans it seemed as though last year was a successful year, but Head Coach Craig Ward viewed it differently.
“I am glad that our fans see us as having a great year, but to us the difference between a great year and a good year is a national championship,” Ward said. ”We have been close too many times to realize if your last match of the year is a loss you are disappointed with that result.”
Coming into this season, the Tigers lost several senior players who were at the top of their game last year.
The team will need new players to step up into the role of leader if they want to have the same success compared last season.
Coach Ward knows that his team lost a lot of talent, but he believes hard work can put this team back on top.
“My philosophy is you have to work hard enough to take the luck out of it,” Ward said.
This is done with maximum practice time. “The NCAA allows us 20 hours of practice per week,” Ward said. “We are in the gym before class, four days a week. In addition we are on the tennis court two and a half hours a day, six days a week. Besides improving skill levels, that type of dedication builds mental toughness, team chemistry and desire to win. When you work that hard you know you deserve to win more than your opponent.”
That type of work ethic helps keep the men’s tennis team on top of its competition year after year.
“Our coach did a great job preparing us for the beginning of the season,” said junior Vasek Stverka. “We spent time on strategy and tactics, watched videos and also did some simulations. You can’t simulate match and atmosphere though, so we will see where our strengths and weaknesses will be once we play our first match. After we find our weaknesses, we will transform them to our advantage [and] become stronger each match.”
Ouachita will start off the season ranked 14th in the nation, with its first match Friday at 3 p.m. at the Heflin Tennis Center.
