Q&A With Patrik Fischer
April 13, 2007
After sitting out a season, sophomore Patrik Fischer has been a stalwart for the Husky men's tennis team. Fischer enters this weekends action against Arizona State and Arizona with a singles record of 14-9 and a doubles record of 18-8. He and teammate Michael Ricks reached a national ranking of 35th earlier in the season and the pair have a team-best 18-7 record when playing together. GoHuskies.com correspondent Erin Rodenbiker caught up with Fischer earlier this week.
GH: How did you end up at UW from Switzerland?
PF: When Chris Russell was at Oregon he had a lot of Swiss players that gave him my number. Later, when Coach Russell transferred to Washington, he called me again and that's how I got here. I knew the school and tennis was good so I ended up here.
GH: Last year you had to sit out and just practice with the team. Was that hard to watch your teammates compete?
PF: Yes it was very hard because the most exciting part of playing tennis is competing. It is not the same to play practice matches compared to real matches. It was tough to watch the guys fighting and just cheer them on.
GH: What did you learn during that year?
PF: I got to work on my game a little bit. When you play matches do not get to change your game too much, you just want to focus on the matches. Last year I worked a lot on my physics and on my strokes. I did not have to worry about getting tired because I didn't have matches. I got in really good shape to help my body and my strokes.
GH: How did just being able to practic affect your standing with teammates?
PF: I was glad that nobody was mad at me for not competing. We have really good team chemistry. I got to learn about the other's game while watching them in matches. Some play more aggressive, some play more on the baseline. I got to know them a lot and I was glad to watch them play in matches.
GH: Moving on to this season, how has the transition from being on the practice squad to full collegiate competition treated you?
PF: It is very different. Now I have to make sure that I play really well and try to move up in the line-up. You can't really have a bad day, you have to go out and compete hard every day. It is tough to bring 100 percent on the court every day.
GH: What are some of your expectations for the season?
PF: It is hard to have expectations the first year, but I wanted to make sure I was in the line-up between No. 2 and No. 4. I saw that Alex Slovic would for sure be No. 1 and I just wanted to move as close to him at the top. But more importantly I want to get points for the team, to help the team out.
GH: How do you feel the team has been doing so far this season?
PF: I think we did okay, but there were two matches against Cal and Minnesota that were really close that we could have won. Except for them, we've been really solid this season and the last few games were against good teams that were just a little bit better than us.
GH: What are the coaches telling the team to work on as you move closer to the post-season?
PF: They always want us to move a little better, be a little more aggressive and to take more control of the points. They also tell us to do the small things like being eager and to play with your life.
GH: Washington has a tradition of making the post-season and especially going to the Sweet Sixteen. Is that a goal for your team and does it add pressure?
PF: Yes, it does add pressure. Everyone says that for the past six years we have been in the Sweet Sixteen and it feels like we have to go to the Sweet Sixteen this year. Coach probably wants us to go a little further than the Sweet Sixteen, but I think that is a difficult thing to do. For sure there is pressure but it is nice to be part of a team with such high goals.
GH: What can you do as a team to assure that you can make it far in the post-season?
PF: Win. We have to win our matches and to help out the team on the court. We have to make sure everybody is on the right track, that they stay focused, and take care of their bodies. At the end it does not matter how you do by yourself, it matters how the team does. Everybody has to try and win their match to win the point.
GH: You play both left and right handed. You serve left but use your right hand as your forehand. How did that develop?
PF: I was six or seven playing with my dad on clay courts. First, I started to play right and my forehand double-handed. The first time I went to a lesson the coach asked me if I was left or right-handed and I said I did not know. He said I was either right or left so he asked me which hand I write with which is the left. So he started me playing left but my dad and I didn't really like that because my backside right hand was pretty good so I switched back to right. Then I played everything right, but after a week of serving and throwing up the ball with my left hand it was pretty bad. So I just took the ball in the right hand to throw it up and hit with the left hand.
GH: Does that ever cause problems by transferring the racket after your serve?
PF: In Juniors they did not play as fast, so I just got used to it. Now it is just really natural to switch hands after a serve, it is almost automatic.
GH: How do you like living in Seattle?
PF: The city and university are really nice. The weather in the spring is great. The winter can be depressing with so much rain and clouds. But the facilities and everything else is very nice.
GH: What is you favorite part of being in Seattle?
PF: It is nice to be a part of a team for a whole year. To have your guys and friends around you is great. You also can combine school with tennis, in Europe it is impossible. They really support you as an athlete at UW which is really nice.
GH: Is tennis different in the States compared to in Europe?
PF: Yes, I think it is a little more aggressive in Europe and people play closer to the baseline but that is because we have more clay courts. But there are many international players on the team. The biggest difference is between hard courts and clay courts.
GH: How do you stay connected to your home country?
PF: It can be difficult but I stay connected through the Internet. I use Skype to call my parents and friends. And I always go back in the summer to meet all my friends and to play tennis in Switzerland, as well as at Christmas.
GH: What are you studying at the UW?
PF: I am trying to get into Business. I am applying in the fall.
GH: Good luck. What other things do you like to do outside of tennis?
PF: Thank you. I would like to play more golf but I do not have the time between tennis and school. After a morning of school and an afternoon of tennis with studying after that I can get really tired. I also like to play Playstation.
GH: Last question, do you have a favorite song or band/artist of the moment?
PF: I am playing a lot of Guitar Hero on Playstation. There are a lot of good songs like "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Free Bird" from Lynard Skynard. I listen to all kinds of music from rock to pop, and also some European like house.
