With twelve matches still to go this regular season, there is still hope for the Winthrop men’s tennis team, who last season made it to the quarterfinal round of the Big South Conference Championship. Prior to Feb. 21, the Eagles had a record of 0-7 for this season.
But on Feb. 21, things began to turn around for the Eagles, as they had their first matchday against another team in the Big South Conference. Winthrop faced off against Hampton, winning five consecutive matches, losing one and finally ending with a win, for the overall winning score of 6-1.
Freshman Abhimanyu Vannemreddy is doing excellent in his single matches, having an overall score of 4-1 in singles matches as of Feb. 15. Although he is 0-1 with senior partner Connor Williamson, his doubles matches with freshman James Hartson have them at 2-1.
Aside from being able to actually play tennis, a player or coach needs “passion … and the will to win day in and day out,” Vannemreddy said.
Originally from Dasarahalli Hebbal, Bangalore in India, Vannemreddy played at Roland Garros in the junior French Open at the age of 17. He moved almost 9,000 miles away from home by choosing to attend Winthrop.
“Just speaking with coach Collins and some of the guys on the team made me feel like Winthrop would be the best place for me to continue my tennis journey,” Vannemreddy said.
During a singles match on Jan. 26 at Furman, Vannemreddy beat opponent Jake Munns three times with final scores of 5-7, 6-2 and 7-6. However, as a team the Eagles lost 1-6 against the Furman Paladins.
Looking up to Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player who is ranked #3 worldwide for men’s singles tennis, Vannemreddy said his “heroes would definitely have to be [his] parents just for the fact that they had to put up with [him].”
The first two games of the season against Davidson College on Jan. 19 and Queens University of Charlotte on Jan. 25 were tough losses for the Eagles as both matches had a final score of 3-4.
“Our group is pretty young and we have five freshmen, but they have been doing a fantastic job adapting to the collegiate experiences and being team players,” senior Gabriel Dias said.
Vanemreddy is one of four freshmen on the ten person team this year.
Before his matches, Vannemreddy routinely over-hydrates in order to prevent cramping as he plays. In a singles match on Feb. 15, Vannemreddy defeated Zak Talic of Coastal Carolina University 6-3 and 6-4. Vannemreddy and partner Williamson lost during the doubles match that same day 4-6.
Despite the struggles in this season so far, Vannemreddy remains optimistic with his “super chill” team.
“My teammates inspire me to be a better player everyday. They work hard and help me improve every time we are on the court,” Vannemreddy said.
He is even open to the idea of professionally playing tennis, as Vannemreddy simply said when asked about this, “Yeah, why not?”
No matter how fun the sport is, there is one very important thing Vannemreddy truly admires about being a college athlete: “Free t-shirts, not going to lie.”
Although injured and most likely not playing for the remainder of the season, Diaz said “I’m extremely excited to be competing next to my boys during my last season as an Eagle. We have worked really hard preparing for this season and I am confident that the results will be a positive consequence of our efforts as individuals and as a team.”
The Eagles take on Wofford in a home match at the Rock Hill Tennis Center on Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.
Photo provided by Winthrop Athletics
