Tuesday, January 17
Seattle, WA
3:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Seattle
Esmail Has Dawgs Ready, Willing To Work
January 16, 2023 | Men's Tennis
THIS WEEK IN HUSKY MEN'S TENNIS
Tuesday, Jan. 17, Seattle, Nordstrom Tennis Center
Washington hosts Seattle U., 3 p.m. | Live scores and video
Saturday, Jan. 21, Seattle, Nordstrom Tennis Center
Washington hosts Louisiana, 11 a.m. | Live scores and video
Washington Men's Tennis opens up its 2023 dual match season tomorrow, Jan. 17, at home against crosstown rival Seattle U. First serve in the Nordstrom Tennis Center is set for 3 p.m.
It will be the first time since 1994 that the Dawgs are led onto the court by anyone other than Matt Anger, as the longtime coach stepped down last spring, paving the way for Rahim Esmail to take the lead. Esmail has plenty of head coaching experience in his own right, having led the Samford program for a decade before coming to Seattle as Anger's Associate Head Coach for 2022.
Esmail, along with Assistant Coach and former Husky standout Mitch Stewart, lead one of the youngest Husky teams, eager to create a culture of growth and hard work. There are no seniors on the 2023 Huskies, and just two juniors, one of whom, Jim Hendrikx, is new to the roster at the start of winter quarter. Seven of the nine Dawgs are either sophomores, redshirt freshmen, or true freshmen.
But with that youth comes an eagerness to prove themselves. Coach Esmail talked about what he's looking forward to from this opening week and what he wants his first UW team to establish.
On the consistent focus for the team in practice leading up to the first matches: Our message throughout the fall has been to grow as a team and bring positive energy to the courts every day. And our goal is to get better every single day we're out there. We're a very young team, different leadership qualities are being asked of guys that they might not have had to use in the past, but new and different qualities are being developed. The message day-in and day-out is what kind of environment do you want to practice in every day, and trying to cultivate that and bring that energy with each other. We really try to make sure every day the level is consistent and therefore we can get better from there.
On what Jim Hendrikx's addition brings to the team: Jim's been a great addition and brings some experience and a quality work ethic and a willingness to learn and get better. He really wants to improve his game, a quality that has the potential to circulate throughout a team. We have other guys that have similar qualities but Jim being the new guy brings a sense of maturity, he's a good team player, and he understands the culture we're trying to build here and what we're about.
On the leadership aspect among such a young team: It's a really young group of guys, Hans and Jim are both juniors and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. I wouldn't say anyone is standing out or really taking a stranglehold of being a leader but a lot of different guys are garnering some attributes and characteristics and fulfilling different roles. Some guys are a little more vocal, and others are the guys who just show up to work hard and they need to continue to cultivate that.
On what he wants to see from UW's earliest dual matches: I want to see the way they compete together, where their energy level is at during the start of a match. How we start a match is going to be very important, coming out tin that doubles point, what kind of energy they have right from the start. I'm really excited for all the guys. A lot will get opportunities to play and compete in our lineup. A lot of these guys will be put in positions they might not have been in before. That's why it's important to continue to work on our culture and our work ethic because that's what will get you through.
On the team he wants to develop: We are building a blue collar work ethic that is built around energy and team camaraderie. They've come a long way since September, developing and gelling a team dynamic, and getting to know each other and what our brand is. We'll have our challenges and successes, but this team will keep working all season and continue to put in a great competition level.
Tuesday, Jan. 17, Seattle, Nordstrom Tennis Center
Washington hosts Seattle U., 3 p.m. | Live scores and video
Saturday, Jan. 21, Seattle, Nordstrom Tennis Center
Washington hosts Louisiana, 11 a.m. | Live scores and video
Washington Men's Tennis opens up its 2023 dual match season tomorrow, Jan. 17, at home against crosstown rival Seattle U. First serve in the Nordstrom Tennis Center is set for 3 p.m.
It will be the first time since 1994 that the Dawgs are led onto the court by anyone other than Matt Anger, as the longtime coach stepped down last spring, paving the way for Rahim Esmail to take the lead. Esmail has plenty of head coaching experience in his own right, having led the Samford program for a decade before coming to Seattle as Anger's Associate Head Coach for 2022.
Esmail, along with Assistant Coach and former Husky standout Mitch Stewart, lead one of the youngest Husky teams, eager to create a culture of growth and hard work. There are no seniors on the 2023 Huskies, and just two juniors, one of whom, Jim Hendrikx, is new to the roster at the start of winter quarter. Seven of the nine Dawgs are either sophomores, redshirt freshmen, or true freshmen.
But with that youth comes an eagerness to prove themselves. Coach Esmail talked about what he's looking forward to from this opening week and what he wants his first UW team to establish.
On the consistent focus for the team in practice leading up to the first matches: Our message throughout the fall has been to grow as a team and bring positive energy to the courts every day. And our goal is to get better every single day we're out there. We're a very young team, different leadership qualities are being asked of guys that they might not have had to use in the past, but new and different qualities are being developed. The message day-in and day-out is what kind of environment do you want to practice in every day, and trying to cultivate that and bring that energy with each other. We really try to make sure every day the level is consistent and therefore we can get better from there.
On what Jim Hendrikx's addition brings to the team: Jim's been a great addition and brings some experience and a quality work ethic and a willingness to learn and get better. He really wants to improve his game, a quality that has the potential to circulate throughout a team. We have other guys that have similar qualities but Jim being the new guy brings a sense of maturity, he's a good team player, and he understands the culture we're trying to build here and what we're about.
On the leadership aspect among such a young team: It's a really young group of guys, Hans and Jim are both juniors and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. I wouldn't say anyone is standing out or really taking a stranglehold of being a leader but a lot of different guys are garnering some attributes and characteristics and fulfilling different roles. Some guys are a little more vocal, and others are the guys who just show up to work hard and they need to continue to cultivate that.
On what he wants to see from UW's earliest dual matches: I want to see the way they compete together, where their energy level is at during the start of a match. How we start a match is going to be very important, coming out tin that doubles point, what kind of energy they have right from the start. I'm really excited for all the guys. A lot will get opportunities to play and compete in our lineup. A lot of these guys will be put in positions they might not have been in before. That's why it's important to continue to work on our culture and our work ethic because that's what will get you through.
On the team he wants to develop: We are building a blue collar work ethic that is built around energy and team camaraderie. They've come a long way since September, developing and gelling a team dynamic, and getting to know each other and what our brand is. We'll have our challenges and successes, but this team will keep working all season and continue to put in a great competition level.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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