Tennis Interview: Building up from Base Zero

[by Jeremy P]

With only one returning player for the boys and three returning for the girls from last year’s tennis team, the tennis team this year was stuck with the inevitable process of rebuilding the team and training new, skilled players to replace those that left for various reasons. On the day of tryouts, a total of 10 boys and 6 girls appeared, mostly young, athletic players who could bring spirit for the team. Now, the 14 APAC players for the tournament from October 21 to 24 which would be held at our own AISG have been determined, with a total of 8 boys and 6 girls, 10 students out of the 14 being either freshmen or sophomores. Although there aren’t many experienced players, the team is filled with young and high-spirited athletes, who Coach Webster, boys’ team captain Boon Yeow and girls’ team captain Kiki Huang all describe as positively influencing the group. I interviewed Coach Webster and both team captains, who explained their thoughts on tennis this season at AISG:

Question: “Can you give me a general explanation about how the roster changed from last year to this year?”

Coach Webster: There is a great difference from the team this year to the team last year. There is only 1 returning boy and only 3 returning girls from last year. 10 girls and boys are new to the team this year but it doesn’t mean that we can play the worst we can.

Question: “There has been a sudden change in the roster this year compared to last year, and lack of experience can be a great weakness for the team. Are you worried about this fact?”

Coach Webster: “Well I am worried, but there is nothing that I can do about it. I have to use the players with less experience and hope they can play at their best and give them as much experience this year as possible.”

Question: “Although you are worried, are you satisfied with the team and is there anything you want more from the players?”

Coach Webster: “I’m totally satisfied with the team and the players. I’m particularly impressed with the positive attitudes of the players on the court and during the games, which they first of all show great sportsmanship and play their best every game, and don’t worry about losing. I consider our team as the ‘david’ of the tournament and the players are not scared about overcoming the challenge with the ‘Goliaths’.”

Question: “Do you have a typical aim for the team or players this season?”

Coach Webster: “I would say that I don’t have a typical aim. Honestly, I don’t give keep my focus just on winning or losing the game, I just want the players to play as hard as they can and become satisfied by their performance on the court. As I said before, we have always been the ‘David’ of the tournament and if the players play their best against the ‘Goliaths’, I will be satisfied.”

Question: “Does the fact that you are the only returning player for the boys team worry you in any way? If there is one major thing you want to change, what is it?”

Boon Yeow (Captain of boys’ tennis team): “It would be a lie for me to say that I am not worried, but as the captain, I hope this year will become a year of improvement and experience for the players in the team since most of the players on the team are either sophomores and freshmen. Even the juniors can make this great year for them to build on their skill for next year’s tournament. Although these players are bright and serious in their games, the skill gap between the other teams will not be reduced easily since we do not have much practice time compared to the other teams and the players should try their best to reduce the gap.”

Question: “As you were once a freshmen and freshmen, do you have any advice to give them of how to improve their skills or overall performance? Also, are you satisfied with how the players are?”

Boon Yeow: “I don’t have much to say or to give advice to the freshmen or sophomores, but I can only say that they should chill and try to play their best every game. They shouldn’t be scared that they are going to do something wrong and I hope that they can start to enjoy every game they play. Currently, they are in a great state and practice has been smooth from the start. Although I am worried, it would be fun to watch the players try their best and learn the game in the court.”

Question: “As this is your final year, do you have any aims for the tournament or specific goals?”

Boon Yeow: “First of all, I hope to demonstrate good sportsmanship like I always did and try to beat UISG, which I haven’t beaten for 4 years! I hope I could leave everything out on the tennis court this year and leave without remorse and pass the team on to the remaining players.”

Question: “The girls team has more returning players compared to the boys team, are you relieved about this fact? Also, how would you describe the girls team this year?”

Kiki Huang (Captain of girls’ tennis team): “The girls team this year has three returning players (Grace Tang, Sara Quattrocchi, and Kiki Huang), and two players who weren’t on the team last year. The players are fierce competitors and hard-workers, who are always willing to improve themselves. But I think that we still need to work very hard to be successful in order to compete equally against the teams in the APAC tournament.

Question: “Both the girls and boys team are without great experience, are you worried about this fact?”

Kiki Huang: “‘Worrying is like a rocking chair.’ You can rock all day and not go anywhere. Rather than worrying, I hope the players think about improving their overall performance and keeping a positive attitude, which then wouldn’t be a big of a problem.”

Question: “IS there anything you would want the players to improve during this season?”

Kiki Huang: “I personally think that the players should improve their fitness, which is pretty much important in any sport you can imagine. But most importantly, the players should take personal tennis lessons to make up for the short practice time we have compared to the other teams. It would be extremely important to improve our skills.”

Question: “What is your final aim for the season and how confident are you?”

Kiki Huang: “Since our team is filled with mostly intermediate players, the growth of this players will be important and I hope we get a good final standing since the tournament is held at our school this year, the more the students cheer for the team, the more confident we will get and the better we will be able to play at the tournament.”

According to the interviews, we can see that the tennis team is not an “almighty, invincible and undefeatable team”, but rather a “young and positive spirited team.” The APAC tennis tournament will be held from October 21-24, hosted by AISG. I hope for many cheers and claps for the growing tennis team, which will contribute to the drive and motivation for the team to improve as this season plays out.