Boys Tennis

Members of the boys tennis team smile for a group photo a er a match. Photo used with permission of Thomas Bender.

Taking a look back

Fishers boys tennis team highlights their greatest moments

Alex Duer duerale000@hsestudents.org

In the world of sports, fans and outsiders view titles and championships as the determinant of a successful season. But ask an athlete, and they will look at the smaller moments and the time spent together. For some of the members of the boys tennis team, it was not the trophies or awards that made it enjoyable, but rather the moments shared both on and o the court that made this season one to remember. e 2022 season was another successful one for the boys tennis team as they nished the year with a winning record and a third place nish in the Hoosier crossroads conference. With so much success, it may be hard to pick just one top match. But to junior omas Bender, the sectional match between Fisher’s number one singles Reese Knoderer and HSE’s Rohan Golla was as good as it gets. “ ey’ve been rivals all throughout high school, and they were two of the top players in the state,” Bender said. “Rohan typically won in the past, so to see Reese win in his senior year and nal match was incredible. e level of play they are at is insane, it was very fun to watch.” Watching a teammate pick up a victory against an arch rival might be pleasing, but pulling a comeback victory to beat said rival one last time may be even better. For Dack, that was exactly the case and it led to ending his career on a high note. “My greatest triumph was de nitely the nal match I played,” Dack said. “It was versus HSE to close a tournament, and my partner and I were way down. But then the set switched, and we started playing on a di erent level. We dominated the rest of the match to end high school tennis with a nal mudsock win.” Outside of matches, each season is lled with plenty of practice in between. is year was no di erent, as some members recall how they have improved this year. “I’ve de nitely become a lot more consistent,” sophomore Matthew Iskandar said. “Overall, my communication with my partner has also gotten better.” For Bender, he believes his improvement came mentally. “Tennis is a sport all about mentality. is year, I have learned to keep my mind clear during matches and to not let bad shots or calls in uence my game.” Besides individual growth, the team also found ways to grow together, most notably through humor. “ e funniest moment this season was all of the inside jokes and jabs at each other,“ Dack said. “Everyone has nicknames and jokes about them, it was really funny to play o the team dynamic.” Even in the dull moments of the season such as bus rides, the team found ways to enjoy their time together. “ e bus rides to and from matches were always hilarious,” Bender said. “. Win or lose, the bus ride home was always fun. en seniors made the bus rides a blast, it de nitely will not be the same next year without them.”

Team picks

Favorite place to play? Matthew: Indy Racquet Club Thomas: Fishers. If not: Zionsville Brady: Park Tudor

Favorite Racquet? Matthew: No preference Thomas: Babolat Pure Drive Team Brady: Wilson Clash v2

Favorite Ball? Matthew: Anything Wilson Thomas: Dunlop Grand Prix Brady: Red balls - for training