Success in sports requires hard work, determination, talent and
more hard work. While all these elements are reasonably
controllable, there is one thing that is crucial in any game, yet
out of any reach: luck.
Ever wonder why tennis players spend a long time preparing
before a serve or during changeovers? Avoiding crossing lines or
always getting the ball from the same corner are part of
superstitious rituals that belong to the game, and UCLA tennis
players do not escape this fatality.
“Tennis players are full of them, and I am a very
superstitious man,” UCLA tennis coach Billy Martin said.
And although the Bruins are arguably balanced compared to
certain professional players, they do have superstitions that might
look obscure to some.
First comes clothing. Junior Aaron Yovan has never played a
match without wearing a cap, and sophomore Jeremy Drean had to let
go of a lucky shirt when he adopted the Bruin uniform.
“Three years ago, I played particularly well wearing one
specific shirt,” Drean said. “I used it for a long time
because I never lost a match wearing it.”
Like many tennis players, Yovan asks for a particular ball back
if he has just won a crucial point with it. And yet, junior
Benjamin Kohlloeffel does the exact opposite, only requesting a
ball back when he has just made a double fault with it.
“I give the ball a second chance, not to let the myth of
bad luck grow,” Kohlloeffel said.
Of all the Bruins, junior Chris Surapol has, or at least admits
to, more superstitions than any other player. Surapol said he
cannot play without his towel behind him, he always puts his left
ankle supporter on first, and he has to give all the balls to his
opponent immediately after the serve has changed. His pregame
rituals even include a playlist by the band Better Than Ezra.
“I always listen to the same song before the game,
too,” Surapol said. “But honestly, I do not realize I
do all those things.”
Unlike certain professional players whose changeover times are
identical from one game to the next, the UCLA team does not seem to
care much for those rituals. Freshman Michael Look does, however,
admit to one changeover ritual.
“I always drink my Gatorade first and then some water,
because if it is the other way around I tend to lose the following
game,” he said.
Martin said his players do not have a team-wide ritual or
superstitious pattern to follow, but there certainly seems to be a
no-shaving policy among the team, as Yovan and Kohlloeffel do not
shave on game day, nor does their coach.
“(Martin) did not shave for the entire week at the NCAA
Tournament last year,” Kohlloeffel said.
“That is my latest one,” Martin said of his stubble.
“And because it got out of hand, I did shave for the game
against Stanford (two weekends ago).”
Although it would be hard to blame the Feb. 4 loss against the
Cardinal on Martin’s beard, those superstitions seem to have
worked well for the Bruins this season.
And if superstitions like this one can bring the Bruins to
another NCAA Title, those interesting details should not be a
problem.