The Alabama men’s tennis team will host the 2010 United States Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Regional Championships this weekend. The four-day event will start Friday and end Monday.
A total of 13 teams from the states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi will be competing this weekend. The teams that are scheduled to play are Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Samford, Troy and UAB, among others.
“It’s a little bit of added pressure when you are the host of such a tough tournament,” head coach Billy Pate said. “Our region has traditionally been one of the toughest, if not the toughest, regions in the country. We just want to play well at home.”
This will be the first time that the Tide has competed in almost a month. Pate said he has mixed feelings about how the layoff will affect the team.
“It works both ways,” Pate said. “You can get out of rhythm as far as competition goes, but it allows you to get guys back from injury. We were also able to address some technical things that we needed to work on. Guys are just eager to get back out there and play.”
Seven players will be in action this weekend for the Crimson Tide, highlighted by No. 10 seed junior Ricky Doverspike and No. 11 seed sophomore Jarryd Botha. Doverspike is recovering from an injured left hand.
Other players who will be competing in singles this weekend are senior Trey Walston, juniors Vikram Reddy and Michael Thompson, sophomore Ian Chadwell and freshman Carlos Taborga. Alabama will place three pairs into the doubles draw: Doverspike and Reddy, Chadwell and Thompson, and Botha and Walston.
The competition level for this weekend will be high for the Tide, but the players are ready for the big stage.
“There are a lot of schools coming, and obviously it’s a great tournament to play because there will be a lot of ranked players,” Botha said.
Doverspike said, “It’s the biggest tournament, and all of the best kids from the South will be here. You will be seeing kids in the top-50 in the nation, and they all are going to bring their A-game. Whoever wins this tournament will get to play in New York, and that gives you a chance to become an All-American.”
Despite the competition being so stiff, the team is still focused on what they need to do. Pate has taken the focus off of the other teams and is keeping it on the Tide and its players.
“Our mental toughness and confidence will be the key this weekend,” Pate said. “It’s also about getting a rhythm. We want everybody to collectively have success so that we can build on that success in the future. That’s what it’s all about”
