Tennis team gets season going
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Sports
If you are like me, you are one of the 4,548 fans who gathered at George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in 2009 to watch the men's tennis team. Since you gathered to watch Texas A&M in the spring, you are probably distraught in wondering, "What does the tennis team do in the fall?"
Prepare for the spring through Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) tournaments.
During the spring, the focus of the men's tennis team is to represent A&M through team competition. However, the focus is the opposite in the fall; the men's team represents A&M by playing in tournaments as individuals in hopes to better their individual ranking and improve their individual skills, thus improving the team when the spring rolls around.
The end of the 2008-2009 season left the Aggies without one of the greatest players in school history, Conor Pollock. Junior All-American Austin Krajicek enters the 2009-2010 season as the most likely candidate to fill the gap at the No. 1 singles position. Looking strictly at results, fellow Aggies may be worried that Krajicek is not ready to fill the role after losing in the first round of his first fall tournament. However, Krajicek has yet to compete in an ITA tournament this season because he has been playing professional tournaments.
In September, Krajicek traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tulsa Challenger. Despite dropping his first match to Mexico's Daniel Garza, the 6'1" Florida native forced the match to three sets and displayed his powerful serve by racking up 12 aces compared to Garza's one. Stating the obvious, if Krajicek is able to hold his own against the best in the world, he should be poised to capture his second consecutive Big 12 singles title.
In the 2008-2009 season, the Aggies posted an overall record of 17-9, 5-1 in Big 12 play. Of the nine losses from last year, three came against Big 12 rivals Baylor and Texas. My prediction of the most likely candidate to help the Aggies eliminate those losses is sophomore John Lewis, who transferred from Alabama.
Prepare for the spring through Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) tournaments.
During the spring, the focus of the men's tennis team is to represent A&M through team competition. However, the focus is the opposite in the fall; the men's team represents A&M by playing in tournaments as individuals in hopes to better their individual ranking and improve their individual skills, thus improving the team when the spring rolls around.
The end of the 2008-2009 season left the Aggies without one of the greatest players in school history, Conor Pollock. Junior All-American Austin Krajicek enters the 2009-2010 season as the most likely candidate to fill the gap at the No. 1 singles position. Looking strictly at results, fellow Aggies may be worried that Krajicek is not ready to fill the role after losing in the first round of his first fall tournament. However, Krajicek has yet to compete in an ITA tournament this season because he has been playing professional tournaments.
In September, Krajicek traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tulsa Challenger. Despite dropping his first match to Mexico's Daniel Garza, the 6'1" Florida native forced the match to three sets and displayed his powerful serve by racking up 12 aces compared to Garza's one. Stating the obvious, if Krajicek is able to hold his own against the best in the world, he should be poised to capture his second consecutive Big 12 singles title.
In the 2008-2009 season, the Aggies posted an overall record of 17-9, 5-1 in Big 12 play. Of the nine losses from last year, three came against Big 12 rivals Baylor and Texas. My prediction of the most likely candidate to help the Aggies eliminate those losses is sophomore John Lewis, who transferred from Alabama.
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