JONATHAN YOUNG/Daily Bruin Sophomore Tobias
Clemens returns the ball against SDSU earlier this
season.
By Greg Schain
Daily Bruin Reporter
[email protected]
Call them the Boston Red Sox of college tennis.
Like the boys from Beantown, every year begins with “this
is our year” and every year ends with “we’ll get
’em next year.”
The 2001-02 season ends with no exception. After a disappointing
4-2 loss to Georgia in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, the
team is left to turn to next year and hope their seemingly annual
ill-fated quest for a championship ends differently in 2003.
“The thing we have to look at positively is that
we’ll be intact for next year,” head coach Billy Martin
said.
As for the question of being cursed, junior Lassi Ketola feels
it is only a matter of time before the 18-year championship drought
ends, and one of tennis’ most storied college programs is
triumphant again.
“It will happen eventually,” he said. “There
are 10,000 other schools that have never won a championship. It is
not an easy thing to win.”
Though the team didn’t come home with a national title,
the season was by no means a waste.
Some accomplishments during the season:
1. The Bruins won the Pac-10 outright for the first time since
1996, going 6-1 in the conference.
2. Junior Rodrigo Grilli became the first Bruin to win the
Pac-10 singles championship since 1993, and the tandem of junior
Jean-Julien Rojer and sophomore Marcin Matkowski captured the
Pac-10 doubles championship.
“Winning both the conference singles and doubles titles
was big for us,” Martin said.
3. Sophomore Tobias Clemens emerged as one of the
country’s premier singles players, compiling an impressive
34-10 record playing mostly at the No. 1 position for UCLA. By the
end of the season, Clemens was ranked No. 10 in the nation.
4. Matkowski and Ketola also had impressive years, going 33-12
and 29-16, respectively.
5. Blue-chip recruit Alberto Francis, who began his freshman
year with a foot injury, recovered by midseason and eventually
cracked the starting doubles lineup.
As for next year, head coach Billy Martin said as many as four
recruits could be coming in. And there are currently no senior
starters, so most likely every regular will be back next year.
The only player considering leaving to go pro is Rojer, but at
this point Martin thinks he will stay for his senior season.
“I’m sure that (Rojer) wants one more chance to win
a title,” Martin said. “It is at least 50-50 that
he’ll be back.”
The Bruins should be one of the deepest teams in the country
next year, and Martin may consider redshirting some of the freshmen
to help preserve the talent longer.
But, as proven during the past 18 years, no amount of depth and
talent can guarantee a championship.