Diary

Jesse
Ferlianto

Past Entries

June 21, 2004

As I sit here in my Atlanta apartment during this cool, breezy evening in June, I will attempt to reflect upon this past season, conveying to you the feelings and sentiments shared among many members of our team after placing third at the NCAA championships.

Unfortunately, I am writing this entry with a rather reluctant spirit, for I am unable to write with the same feelings of elation that we experienced after last year's run to the championship. Despite the disappointment we encountered at nationals, I do have some good news to share, in addition to the many unforgettable good times spent together. In the end, we can only look back at our season and find ways to improve our chances of winning the next time around. In any case, we will go back to the drawing board together.

National championships are never to be taken for granted. As the top seed and defending champion, we approached the long-awaited tournament with much confidence. We had a 22-match winning streak going into the championship, so with this momentum flowing our way, the prospect of losing did not cross our minds.

What we were about to find out was that Middlebury had ambitious plans of its own, and they certainly were not about to roll over and hand us the title. We drew them in the semifinals, and walked away from that match devastated. There is no doubt in my mind that this loss will send us back to the drawing board to reassess our season.

Unfortunately, the tough loss will continue to linger in our memories for years to come. But in my opinion, this is a good thing. It sometimes takes a tough loss to reignite the hunger that fuels a team to work even harder and prepare even more seriously for such a competition. And that was what we received.

For this year's NCAA championships, we flew into the beautiful state of Maine. Sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-60's greeted us each day throughout the tournament. It was perfect tennis weather by any standards.

The day before the tournament began, members from all the participating teams gathered in the Bates College dining hall for the welcoming banquet. The view from the hall overlooked a large, hilly expanse of trees in the backdrop, with a clear view of the peaceful pond in the forefront. The sun was setting in the horizon, reflecting off the water and into our room. The setting was perfect for a competition of this magnitude. The serene evening was like a calm before a storm. And we all sensed the healthy tension within the roomful of players and coaches.

After the banquet, we drove back to our hotel and gathered in coach's room. It was a time for us to bond one last time before stepping onto those fateful Bates College courts. Each person was comfortable sharing his thoughts in this open forum for mutual appreciation, reflection, and encouragement. We all went to sleep that night feeling ready to make war with Washington University (St. Louis) in the quarterfinals the next morning.

Morning came, and we all were up by 6:45 a.m., eager to get the day started. We started off strong. In the doubles, Josh and Tyson won first at #2. Pat and I clinched the point at #3, while Alex and Mark were a point away from winning their match when the doubles point was clinched. We went into the singles confidently, winning three straight matches in straight sets for a 4-0 win.

The rest of the day, most of us passed the time taking naps or watching tv in our rooms. We anticipated a really tough match ahead of us, as the more experienced, battle-hardened Middlebury team had brought with them many vanloads of fans to cheer them on to victory. They had a deep lineup that had the potential to make anything happen on a given day, and they were itching to avenge their loss to us in last year's NCAA semifinals.

The next morning was one that we will never forget. In the doubles, Alex and Mark fired up their performance to prevail over their opponents. We could feel the intensity developing all around us as each point was played – the noises around us gradually converged into unintelligible uproars after each point completed. Middlebury's #2 and 3 doubles teams came out firing from the start, and got off to early breaks. A few poorly executed points and missed opportunities on our part allowed our opponents to capitalize and carry the momentum.

Those little mistakes proved to be costly, as we eventually lost at #2 and 3 doubles, which gave them a very advantageous momentum boost going into the singles. This was the first time we had lost the doubles point all season in Division III. We had an uphill battle to fight, since at this stage we had to win at least four out of the six singles matches to achieve the team victory.

Unfortunately, the singles matches did not fare any better for us that afternoon. Although we were up a set in four matches, we were not able to close in on our gains. The heavily partisan Middlebury crowd made sure their players stayed focused and optimistic, so the matches kept plodding along, shifting momentum frequently each minute. The biggest challenge for us players during such a volatile, rollercoaster experience is to remain focused solely on one's own individual match amidst the onslaught of external distractions.

However, seeing or overhearing a teammate's loss of a point is often as painful as experiencing one's own loss of a point. Likewise, we naturally want to celebrate when we see a teammate win a point a few courts away. This dichotomy of our emotional tendencies is often enhanced tenfold during a match holding such enormous weight, because the sudden eruptions from the diehard fans on the sidelines clearly tell the match's story to anyone who isn't completely deaf.

Such is the beauty of college tennis, in my opinion. Quite frankly, this is the only chance I'll get to play tennis in a team format. College tennis is the first and the last time in my life that I can walk onto the court knowing that I am not completely alone in my efforts. There will always be at least five other guys on the courts beside me who all have an equal stake in the outcome of my individual match.

As a tennis player accustomed to the USTA junior circuit in which everyone other than your parents and friends couldn't care less about your match results, I definitely never take this wonderful concept of collective effort for granted. On second thought, there may be a future for me in team tennis, but to this day, the captain of the Indonesian Davis Cup team has yet to call me up. Patrick McEnroe, the U.S. Davis Cup coach, asked me to play for him this year in the tie against Sweden, but the match happened to conflict with our conference tournament. I decided to let Mardy Fish have the opportunity to be a national hero for once. Besides, I'd pick Coach Browning over Coach McEnroe any day of the week. Who else would be so eager to ask me why I would ever consider voting for Bush this November?

Continuing with the story: When I finished my singles match, the team score was tied at one apiece and our players were still hanging on. It was a painful sight to see, however, as Middlebury slowly pulled away to a 3-1 lead. Pat, Alex, and Josh were digging deep into their second sets, still up a one set to none. All hope was not lost yet.

Then, after climbing his way back to even the match at 1 set apiece, Justin Ingolia, Middlebury's #5, slowly entered into a zone, raised his level, and never looked back en route to his three-set, hard-fought victory. Josh fought well all throughout the match, but was unlucky that day. By the sounds of the many loyal fans erupting in celebration, one would not be able to know that we were playing at Bates College, not Middlebury.

Despite our disappointing performance, Middlebury deserves a lot of credit for the way they played that day. They came prepared, intense, and hungry for a battle that would lead to the upset of the tournament. They have proven themselves to be a formidable opponent in Division III, and surely we look forward to many more epic battles against them.

Although we had one more match left in the tournament, it felt like our season was over already. As the #1 seeds, we had set our sights on nothing less than a repeat national championship, so in all honesty, the prospect of playing for anything less wasn't too exhilarating. Needless to say, we learned many valuable lessons from this tournament about preparation and resilience. There is no way to guarantee victory each year no matter how talented your team may be, but surely we have a few things to work on in order to prepare us for next year's run at the title.

The next morning, we met up against UC Santa Cruz for the third-place match. Despite our heartbreaking loss the day before, we fought and struggled through the match, winning the doubles point, then winning at #6 singles, losing at #1, 2, and 5, then winning at #3. So, in our last match of the year, we sat dead even at 3-3.

The fate of our season rested upon Pat Redmond's shoulders at #4 singles. He had lost a hotly contested first-set tiebreaker, but held his ground as he fired back blasting forehands at his opponent, eventually winning the second set 6-4. Fans from both teams sat uneasily on the sidelines, cheering desperately for their respective heroes. We all were worried about Pat, because he was very sore from the previous matches, feeling a bit immobilized with blisters on his feet.

Nevertheless, Pat succeeded in overcoming his pains, and fought through many long, tiresome rallies. Eventually, it looked as if Templeman was beginning to lose mobility due to cramping, and Pat immediately capitalized by blasting his way to a 6-3 third-set victory. It was the only match in our season that came down to the wire, and we won it through much patience and tenacity. Forget the fact that we weren't playing for the championship. I felt as if we had redeemed ourselves against a very worthy team.

At the end of this season, our team finished with a school-record breaking five All-Americans. For Pat Redmond and I, it was our first distinction of the kind. Tyson, Alex, and Mark earned their honors for the third year in a row. In the individual singles tournament, Tyson played brilliantly en route to his straight set victory over the #6 seed, Brian Casey, avenging his loss to him the day earlier. Mark and Alex also advanced to the quarterfinals of the individual doubles tournament.

Now we have a few months to settle down and rest up before giving it another go this coming fall. Our injuries will be healed, our muscles rested, and our desires reignited. I look forward to a good season in 2005.

Jesse Ferlianto is a sophomore from Canyon Country, Calif. He would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.