As spring serves into full swing, the courts were set up for the girls tennis season as the sports season is approaching its halfway point for many FHS teams. Tennis is one of the smaller FHS sports in recent years, but the teams have been putting in hard work since the start. While tennis was centered in some pop culture moments for the past few years, many students may not know how the sport works, nor how entertaining it can be.
“A typical practice starts with a rally; we grab a group of four and just hit balls back and forth, trying some new things,” varsity captain senior Sonali Shah said. “As we finish with that, our coach makes us do more practice. We usually start with serves, and end practice with a fun game.”
FHS’s girls tennis team participates in both doubles and singles matches, and each match carries different challenges. While singles rely more on personal skill, doubles require teamwork and synergy with your partner.
“The most challenging part about playing doubles is beating yourself up about a point after you lose it,” Shah said. “It feels like you’re letting your partner down. Then, you psych yourself out.”
Tennis is a very high-intensity sport where the score can change drastically, and this season is no exception. A player can go from winning to losing majorly in just a few sets. Participants in girls tennis are learning valuable life skills like accepting rejection and channeling it into other aspects of life.
“Tennis has taught me how important it is to continue working hard, even if I’m losing,” senior Gaia DeMeester said.
Although FHS has a tennis team, tennis is not necessarily a team sport. Both adult and junior athletes are ranked nationally and receive ratings for participating in tournaments. The FHS girls tennis team practices together to help each other improve, but the drive comes from the athletes alone.
“My personal goals are to become more confident in my playing and to be better at brushing off my mistakes,” DeMeester said. “It can be difficult to focus on the match when I’m worried about messing up, and it’s much more important to just focus on playing.”
Tennis meets can run long, and when they’re not playing in their own matches, the team is cheering on each other while watching games. The sisterhood that many girls have found through FHS girls tennis is what keeps the team so close-knit.
“I enjoy being a part of the tennis team because it allows me to spend time with my friends and bond over our common goal of winning,” DeMeester said.
The tennis season is still ongoing, but the team is well on its way to hitting its goals of working hard and winning games.
