Community senior Janaki Nallamothu feels like she was always fated to play tennis in high school.
Nallamothu, now a captain of the Huron varsity tennis team, was introduced to tennis by her mom, who started playing shortly after Nallamothu was born, and put all three of her kids into the sport.
“Tennis was the sport that I was destined to do,” she said.
Nallamothu first saw tennis at the high school level when her older sister was that age. She was drawn to the community feeling of the team.
“I remember being at a lot of my sister’s matches, and it was really fun to hang out with her team and see the bonds that they made as teammates and as friends,” she said.
This team mindset of tennis is something that she feels is core to the sport at the high school level, even though that’s not really what people associate with tennis.
From a young age, people generally start playing singles, where it is very individually focused.
“That’s just how the sport is taught,” Nallamothu said. “You grow up playing very individually. Even if you go to group classes, you’re literally by yourself on the court.”
In high school, though, the sport is completely group-focused. The overall score for the team depends on how many individual matches they win. At regionals and beyond, as well, there are a certain number of points needed to advance to the next level, and those points are won by winning matches.
“You can’t have one strong player who leads you all because every point contributes to the win and to going to the next competition,” Nallamothu said.
They are united by hope for the win and the ultimate reality that they are all representing Huron.
“It’s a mindset to get into – you’re not going to be all on the field at the same time, but you’re on the sidelines, and you have to cheer even when you’re not actively playing on the court,” Nallamothu said.
As a captain, part of Nallamothu’s role is to teach that and be a supportive leader wherever he can be.
“I’m always there to give some extra support to someone who needs it, or just be on the lookout for everyone,” she said.
She said the most important thing to be a good member of the team is to be all-in.
“You have to be enthusiastic and willing to be there and put in the work and commit to the season and to practice and matches,” Nallamothu said.
Playing doubles was a new experience for Nallamothu in high school, as she had only ever played singles before and expected to continue the same.
“That was a big change, trusting my coaches that they would make a right decision for me,” she said. “And they did.”
Nallamothu has grown a lot since freshman year as she’s learned to not let herself get to hyperfixated on the game.
“I was definitely always in my head freshman year,” she said. “I felt like I couldn’t drop any game. My mind always jumped forward to the end result which isn’t healthy for competitive playing”
She said she’s learned to recognize when she’s thinking like that and drift her thoughts away or focus on the present moment instead of worrying about the outcome.
“I’ve grown in the sense that I’ve been able to catch that thinking,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to erase that feeling, but I think it’s important to at least recognize it.”
