Thirteen trips to Applebee’s, thirteen orders of steak and broccoli. A run at the Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich., and a 2012 U.S. Open berth. Once No. 1 UCLA tennis player Dennis Novikov finds a meal that “works,” he sticks to it throughout a given tournament. Novikov’s preference for the familiar has his doubles partner, fellow rising junior Marcos Giron, describing his teammate as “liking very plain food” and not one to “mix things up at all.”
Novikov found himself in a familiar spot on Sunday, as he attempted to top off a steak-fueled Linda Bogdan Memorial Futures tournament run with a doubles championship alongside Giron. The Bruins and Novikov’s superstition fell short, however, as the pair lost 6-2, 6-3 in Rochester, N.Y. A doubles triumph would have marked Novikov’s second championship in as many weeks: He left Florida with his first pro singles title on June 23, capturing the Amelia Island Futures Championship.
Novikov’s reaction to his achievement illustrates an existing taste of tournament success for a Bruin who already has a U.S. Open victory under his belt.
“It’s just a good start and foundation for the summer. Going into (summer competition) with lots of confidence is good,” said Novikov, who dropped the first set 1-6 before winning a tiebreaker to force the decisive third set.
Novikov and Giron, who have already brought home the Pacific Coast Doubles Championship and Sherwood Collegiate Cup this year, lean heavily on a collegiately unconventional style dependent on solid groundstrokes. Giron intends for the approach to pressure other teams and “put a little bit of fear into (the Bruins’) opponents.”
UCLA coach Billy Martin recognizes how demanding his players’ play is for the opposition.
“I think they do as good a job as any collegiate team, as far as really making players have to play and make a multitude of great volleys and tough shots (to win the point),” Martin said.
In the Bogdan loss, however, Giron said that he and Novikov, usually a strong serving team, had to adjust to a below-average serving performance, while also dealing with few opportunities to break their opponents. Giron and Novikov tried to adapt by playing more aggressively and both stepping up on returns, but their efforts failed to take the match beyond two sets.
En route to the championship round, Novikov and Giron dispatched of a pair that included Jarmere Jenkins, the former Virginia Cavalier who Martin said “dominated” in the UCLA duo’s 8-2 loss during May’s NCAA finals. Novikov also redeemed his NCAA singles finals loss against Jenkins by staging a three-set comeback win against the Virginia alumnus at Amelia Island.
Jenkins responded to the defeat by handing Novikov a two-set loss on Friday, in the Bogdan Memorial quarterfinals. Though Novikov has faced Jenkins three times in singles since May, Martin does not feel that familiarity explains the results of their clashes.
“Jenkins’ style is generally one that is not the best for Dennis. Dennis does not like a guy who is super fast and can run down a lot of his hard-hit shots and make him play two to three extra balls,” Martin said.
The Bruins coach added that Novikov’s struggles with speedy opponents become even more apparent when the Bruin does not connect on his trademark, powerful serves.
Novikov’s assessment of the Rochester loss confirmed Martin’s analysis. In addition to being fatigued from playing singles and doubles during the Amelia Island and Bogdan Memorial tournaments, Novikov cited long points and a subpar serving performance as being difference-makers against the eventual tournament champion.
Both Novikov and Giron walk away from Rochester with their eyes set on a summer filled with court time. Giron in particular will be seeking out his own first professional singles title, heading to Pittsburgh, Pa. for an ITF Futures tournament. Novikov will take a week off before he rejoins Giron to participate in the USTA Collegiate Team camp and playoffs.
Despite the demands of a schedule dominated by court time, Giron shows no shortage of appetite for competition.
“We’ve been playing tennis since we were younger. … It doesn’t get tiring, but recoup pretty quick. Just a day off does wonders.”