A 26-4 tennis season in 2011-2012 that ended with a 4-1 semi-final loss to USC in the NCAA championships would have been deemed a success for almost any other team. But for a UCLA men’s tennis team that has won 16 national championships, there was a natural expectation to do more this year.
A 29-2 record for the 2012-2013 season highlighted by winning the Pac-12 regular season title, Pac-12 tournament, an ascension to the No. 1 ranking, and a runner-up finish at the national championships were a testament to this team’s success this year.
“We had great depth, especially singles-wise. Everybody stayed relatively healthy, that is always a key thing. The team bonded, we all were excited about the year, we had a good year before,” said coach Billy Martin. “It wasn’t the exact ending we wanted, but certainly a great year. And it comes down to hard work. The guys worked really hard from day one.”
The team’s ending to the season was one of heartbreak for the Bruins after junior Adrien Puget held a match point to win the national championship, but subsequently lost the match in what was a 4-3 loss to Virginia.
Despite the loss, the team had a stellar year, winning 20 consecutive matches spanning from February 22nd to May 20th. Puget said he is already looking forward to next season and how the team can learn from their experience this season to have another standout year.
“We want to at least do the same, maybe even better next season. To do better we just need to win the NCAAs. But I think next year we really want to have a high focus on the indoors, which is also a great title to have and would give us confidence at the beginning of the season,” Puget said. “And I think that we will have the same expectations, and now that we’ve had a bitter taste of what the title is like, I’m sure we will work hard to come back and actually win (the NCAAs).”
With the loss of just two players, seniors Alex Brigham and Maxime Tabatroung, heading into next year, much of this squad will remain the same. Sophomore Marcos Giron believes that the team chemistry that they have built over the last couple of years was vital in their success, and will continue to be a key factor leading into next season.
“We have a really good group of guys on the team right now, we all push each other really hard and are inspired to do well. We all have that mutual goal of holding the trophy at the end of the year,” Giron said. “We all get along great,” he added.
“Obviously the coaching staff has been wonderful. We were still a young team this year; we know how to push each other and can coach each other to our fullest potential.”
The current singles squad, composed of Giron, Puget, sophomores Dennis Novikov and Dennis Mkrtchian, junior Clay Thompson and redshirt freshman Karue Sell will all be returning for next season. While the expectations may be as high as ever, the players will be looking to continue to grow as a team next season.
“It’s a yearlong process, we start and have to make every day at practice count and get in really good shape. And not just look forward to the NCAAs, the indoors or the Pac-12 tournament, but look forward to each day of practice and getting better,” Martin said.