Nikki Bedekar recounts her tennis experience

Seven years ago, senior Niharika Bedekar started playing tennis. In her freshman year, she made the varsity girls’ tennis team and has seen the team change over the years. Currently the team captain and No. 2 singles on the team, Bedekar is excited for the new season.

“I think [this year’s] team has a lot of potential,” Bedekar said. “In previous years, our skills and strengths were more noticeable, but this year is going to be even more fun because we are going to try to find out new strengths.”

Junior Kalyani Narayan has been on the team with Bedekar for three years. She has seen growth in Bedekar as a player and as a person.

“She’s very fair on the court and fast as a lightning bolt,” Narayan said. “She’s supportive to other people, even when she’s losing a match, cheering for me and everybody else.”

Bedekar said that the most difficult thing about being a tennis player is juggling academics and tennis practice on a daily basis.

“During the season at school, we miss sixth period a lot for our matches,” Bedekar said. “Also, some USTA [United States Tennis Association] tournaments trail into either Monday or Tuesday or begin on Friday, so I  sometimes miss school for those tournaments too.”

Dedicating much of her time to tennis, Bedekar feels that the sport has shaped her life in some ways. 

“I think tennis has made me a better person,” Bedekar said.  “I love tennis because I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet amazing people through tennis and because it has taught me very important life lessons such as staying calm under pressure and dedication.” 

Bedekar hopes to continue to improve herself and learn new things from the sport in college.

“Hopefully I can play on the varsity team of the school I attend, but that depends on what school I go to. If not the varsity team, I’ll definitely play club tennis,” Bedekar said. “[Tennis] is a sport that I can continue well beyond my high school and college years.”

The team is having to rebuild after losing star seniors from last year such as No. 1 singles Crystal Yen and No. 1 doubles team, Lisa Asai and Sarah Lum. Despite the loss, Bedekar takes the optimistic attitude and sees potential in the team.

“While there’s no denying that we did lose a lot of players last year, we have a very talented team and I’m excited to see how we progress,” Bedekar said.

 

 

On Sept. 18, the girls defeated Milpitas High School 5-2. They played Archbishop Mitty on Sept. 19 and lost a close game of 3-4. The girls went on to take on Lynbrook and won 5-2.