Tennis, a source of pride in sports at this school for both boys and girls, starts up again on Mar. 21. Boys went 12-0 and girls went 11-1 last season. After winning the State Championship for boys in the 2022 season and State Doubles and County Singles 3 and 2 Championships for girls two years in a row, from 2021-2023, both varsity teams hope to continue their winning ways this season.
Junior Justin Huang, boys co-captain, and senior Naomi Esterowitz, girls captain, both have large responsibilities on their competitive teams, along with the pressure to win their own matches.
Both Huang and Esterowitz want to keep a cohesive and fun environment while playing tennis with friends. A friendly, positive spirit is the key to the success of the team and the amount of enjoyment they have.
The boys hope to get a record similar to last year’s. “The team is preparing by holding team practices and workouts before tryouts as well as two-hour practices when the season begins. Everyone on the team has also been playing at their academies or clubs throughout the year,” Huang said.
The upcoming competition has stayed similar for both teams, with Walt Whitman and Winston Churchill being the top opponents. Huang said that everyone can hold their own in their matches. “The skill range is pretty small. Any doubles player could play well and defeat a singles player at practice,” Huang said.
Hoping to keep her undefeated streak throughout high school, Esterowitz has been practicing a lot in the off-season. She plays year-round at Ossa Tennis Academy. Huang has a similar work ethic and is also practicing at Bethesda Tennis Academy, run by Wootton coach Nitin Deodhar.
Deodhar is a relatively new tennis coach for the boys’ team here, as this is his second year. However, he is not alone, as the girls’ coach, art teacher Quan Duong is also a newcomer for the first year of coaching here. Deodhar has already shown his skill in coaching tennis, bringing the boys to an undefeated season last year. Whether Duong will be able to do the same will be determined this year.
As upperclassmen, Huang and Esterowitz are both nearing the end of their tennis careers here. Esterowitz, who will not be continuing her tennis career in college, will miss playing tennis competitively. Huang, with two seasons left, reflects on what is most enjoyable and memorable about tennis here. “The atmosphere is what I will miss the most. Tennis season is always the highlight of the school year, especially team dinners and breakfasts and the end-of-year banquet,” Huang said.
