Off to a 9-3 start (7-1 in league), the 2019 Vista del Lago men’s tennis team is loaded with talent this year. However, unlike other popular sports at Vista, the athletes on the tennis team are rarely recognized on a school wide basis for their accomplishments.

This Eagles team has high hopes nearing the playoffs. Their success so far stems from the positive environment surrounding them. “Everyone loves the sport and environment,” said junior tennis player, Samyak Surti.

Tennis at the high school level is a team sport, but individual accomplishments drive competition. With this in mind, conflict between teammates for rankings is highly likely, but not for Vista’s team. “There’s no sense of arrogance or superiority within the team, so everyone is able to play their best at an individual level regardless of where they stand in the rankings,” said Surti.

The players on the tennis team have a wide range of skill, but work to support each other in everything. The more skilled upperclassmen on the team serve as role models for the younger, inexperienced players.

“I look up to Vikram to model my forehand stroke after his,” said freshman Jack Fearnside. Fearnside, as a freshman, does not always get the opportunity to play in matches but enjoys practicing with the team to improve his skills every day.

In comparison to other sports, the time the athletes have to spend on the sport is the same.Their schedule goes as follows: two-hour practice on everyday, Monday through Friday. If they’re not practicing on one of those days, it is either because they have a match or the weather conditions make practicing impossible.

As for the time commitment for other sports, there is no difference. Basketball, for example, practices Monday through Friday, unless there’s a game. Why don’t the athletes on the team receive the same recognition?

“Usually, tennis is stereotyped as the sport you might go play with your family once in awhile,” said junior Samyak Surti. “People are never really exposed to the to the competitive side of the sport”.

Throughout the course of the football and basketball season, weekly announcements are made on a school wide basis giving times and locations of games taking place during the week. However, the tennis team does not receive the same treatment.

As for fans of the team, it is nearly impossible to be one due to the lack of advertisement the team has. “I would like to go to a few tennis matches to watch some of my friends in action, but I rarely know when and where the matches take place,” said Keon Amirazodi, junior and sports fan at Vista.

The tennis team will not let the lack of school wide recognition affect their effort in the last few games before the postseason. Eager to prove themselves as a competitive team at the high school, they have high hopes heading into the playoffs.

To follow the success of the tennis team throughout the season, Max Preps has all of the matches scheduled, as well as scores from past matches.