Daniel Bidikov: Hey guys. Do you want to answer a few questions about tennis?
Chirag Doshi: What is tennis?
DB: Great. Nice. Sounds good. Love it. I love sports. How did this season live up to your expectations? Also, what do you guys expect to see in the team’s future?
Ben Rosen: Going into the season, we expected to make it to the playoffs. We fulfilled our expectations by beating Hewlett in the first round. Obviously we would have loved to beat Syosset in the second round, but we are proud of ourselves and of what we accomplished this season.
Alex Grossman: This season, we did better than we expected because we lost our second doubles player and half of our first doubles team from last year. The incoming freshman really stepped up, and in the middle of the season, I thought we could do better than we ended up doing. I thought at the beginning of the playoffs that we would win Nassau Counties. Regardless of how it ended, I’m proud of how we did.
DB: What is your favorite thing about playing tennis?
BR: My favorite thing about tennis is being able to determine the outcome of the match. In a match, you don’t have any teammates that can win the game for you or lose the game for you. If you play well enough, you win the match, because you are the only one on the court.
DB: What’s your least favorite thing about playing singles tennis?
AG: I get lonely.
DB: Is playing tennis a good way to impress the ladies? I’m asking for a friend.
AG: Yeah, it is.
DB: Why don’t more people watch professional tennis?
CD: It’s a difficult sport to relate to if you don’t have any experience playing, but along with the growing tennis population the sport is getting more attention.
DB: Who’s the cutest player on the tennis team?
BR: Definitely Yuki.
DB: Do you guys have any interesting or noteworthy pre game rituals?
BR: Our pre game rituals include bumping to some Beethoven, going to Rite Aid to get sunflower seeds, and making fun of Grossman.
DB: What kind of shoes do you wear to play tennis?
AG: Gray Adidas Barricades. All other shoes break after a month of playing in
them.
DB: This question is more for Alex: How do you feel about being a captain as a sophomore?
AG: I felt that it gave me a great opportunity to become a leader on the team among the younger players as I will be on the same team as them for two more years. This was my fourth year on the team which means I had been on the team as long as most senior players in a sport are on a team, and I felt that I had to act like a leader.
DB: When did you start playing tennis?
AG: I started playing when I was 9-10 years old.
DB: Who are your tennis idols?
AG: I am my own idol.
DB: That’s, uh-
AG: Not even kidding right now.
DB: I know you aren’t. That’s the sad part. What advice do you have for people interested in stepping up their tennis game?
AG: Move your feet and practice a lot.
DB: What exactly do you mean by “move your feet?”
AG: Improve your footwork. Footwork is the most important part of tennis.
DB: What’s your favorite book?
AG: The Great Gatsby.
DB: Is it obvious that I’ve never done this before?
AG: I don’t know. I guess.
DB: I have one general tennis question that I probably should know: what is the difference between the words “love” and “all?”
AG: They are two different words.
DB: I mean in the context of tennis.
BR: “All” means the score is tied. For example, 15-all is when both players have 15.
BR and AG: Love is zero.
DB: Relax, boys. There’s plenty of me to go around!
AG: I still think I’m a great Athlete of the Month candidate. I’m 60 percent sure I was a Weber Star in October of 2009.
DB: Rock on, dude! That’s tubular man! Now, if you guys will excuse me, I need to get back on my tennis grind. Peace out!