Boys’ Thirds Tennis players practice their stellar skills at an afternoon practice at the Hunt Tennis Center.
Boys’ Thirds Tennis, coached by Mr. Philip Kojo Clarke and captain Faisal Nazer ’19, may very well be one of the most demanding teams that a Choate student can join. Each practice starts and ends with rigorous physical conditioning: sprints, pushups, and sit-ups are commonplace. During practice, team members improve their mechanics by playing challenge matches and grinding through drills.
By promoting a strong team spirit and a resilient mindset, Coach Clarke aims to make the players better people both on and off the court. According to Tommy Wachtell ’19, “Coach Clarke instills a sense of toughness among us; we all have to work hard towards our common goal of moving up to the varsity team, and maybe even playing tennis collegiately.” Faisal Nazer ’19 commented on how he gets through the day: “I try to live by the mantra, ‘tennis is love, tennis is life.’ This enables me to stay mentally tough on the court during our practices and matches, especially when I face adversarial conditions.” Commenting on his team’s progress thus far this season, Wachtell noted, “I think we have done well, especially with our close [4-3] win against Cheshire Academy’s junior varsity team. We had to dig deep and apply the strategy we had learned during drills in order to come out with a win.”
Jason Gao ’18 said that the team’s pump up song is “Down In the DM” by Yo Gotti. He added, “This song just gets me going. It makes the whole team ready to play their hearts out.” Gao also stated that the team’s favorite tennis player is Maria Sharapova, despite her recent suspension from professional tennis. Wesley Fang ’19 said, “Sharapova provides inspiration for us. She is a role model for young tennis players all around the world.” In addition, Fang noted that their favorite celebrity is Taylor Swift.
The team has five games under its belt so far, and its record is promising. With intense training and positive attitudes, the team is expected to perform at a high level for the second half of this season. The players hope to dominate in their home game against Hamden Hall Country Day School.
