Interview with SHS Tennis Player Shreyas Kode
Welcome back to the Spring Edition of Off the Reels! This week, I interviewed an athlete from one of my favorite sports...TENNIS!
Meet Springboro High School’s Second Singles Tennis Player Shreyas Kode…
Shreyas started playing tennis when he was eight years old. Many friends and family members played, so he was inspired to pick up a racket. And this was also around the time that he started seriously following professional tennis. For about three years, he learned the game and played for fun. When he was eleven, he started playing tournaments.
Shreyas’s pre-match rituals:
Before every match, Shreyas does what probably any athlete does: he stretches and warms up. But more specific to Shreyas and tennis, he re-grips his racket before every match.
Shreyas on losing his freshman season to COVID:
Shreyas lost his first high school tennis season to the pandemic. The season had barely begun; the Panthers found out that their season was cancelled on the last day of tryouts. Shreyas said that it was tough to hear, but it didn’t stop him from getting to the courts. He played USTA tournaments throughout the pandemic and worked to improve his ranking. Going into this season, Shreyas worked extra hard because it was his first high school season, and he wanted to make up for losing his freshman season.
Shreyas’s signature shot:
Shreyas’s best shot is his serve! Ace!
Shreyas on the mental aspect of tennis:
Shreyas said one of the most challenging parts of tennis is the mental game. Tennis requires a great amount of mental strength. Shreyas told me about how easy it is to get nervous in a close match and therefore how necessary it is to be mentally strong. Following up to this, I asked Shreyas about how he developed his mental game through the years. He said it came from experience and playing tournaments often. Regarding the challenge posed by the mental game, Shreyas said, “it never really gets old, but as time goes on, you learn to handle it better.”
Shreyas’s favorite professional player:
Shreyas’s favorite pro tennis player is Rafael Nadal. He admires Nadal because of his work ethic and the strength of his mental game; Nadal is always focused.
Moment Shreyas is most proud of:
Shreyas is most proud of a comeback when he was 13, in which he won a USTA tournament after being down 5-2. He said that coming back from behind in matches gives him more confidence and pushes him to win his next matches.
Shreyas’s advice for tennis players:
Shreyas’s advice is short and simple, and it does not have anything to do with footwork or tennis shots. He said, “working hard and staying focused” are the most important things. Focusing on his coaches and their advice helped Shreyas improve drastically, so he advises other tennis players to do the same.
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