In tennis, line one is usually played by one of the most experienced and skilled players, typically a senior player. However, for the boys varsity tennis team, that is freshman Benjamin Demetriades. Demetriades might be a young player, but to him, tennis is nothing new. Demetriades said that he has been playing for about ten years. Growing up, his parents enjoyed playing tennis and initially introduced him to the sport. Demetriades said that the individual aspect of tennis is what really appealed to him.
“You’re out there on your own and it feels like you’re doing all the work and no matter the outcome, it is always going to be on you, so you can never really hold other people accountable besides yourself,” Demetriades said.
New boys varsity tennis head coach Martin Harach has only been coaching Demetriades for a little over a month and already has very high praise and expectations for Demetriades and the whole team.
“He’s got a lot of potential I mean you can see he has been taught very well, he is very neat, has athleticism and he is a smart kid,” Harach said. “So, he has all the assets that a coach looks for to build into a great player. He is still young, being a freshman playing line one for us this year which is huge, can be good for his experience and whatever goals he has for the future.”
Teammates of Demetriades such as senior Dylan Kling have high high praise for Demetriades’ enthusiasm and will to work at his game.
“Ben comes into practice always excited and knows what he needs to work on for his next match,” Kling said. “He is overall a positive person to be around as person and as a teammate he stays committed.”
Looking towards the future, Demetriades said that his goal and plan is to play for a collegiate level tennis team. Demetriades said some of his dream schools include Northwestern University and Wake Forest University.
Harach is someone who can help players, like Demetriades, reach their goals as he is coming into the boys varsity tennis program with a lot of experience behind him. Harach grew up in Argentina and as a junior he was ranked a top 50 player in the country. Harach later played at Young Harris College, a Division 2 school. Harach then went on to coach at Auburn University at Montgomery and won a national championship with the girls team, while the boys were ranked top five in the nation.
“My goal is to teach him [Demetriades] to mainly handle pressure,” Harach said. “We practice the same pattern over and over again because tennis is really mostly about handling pressure. It’s not necessarily about who has the prettiest forehand or the hardest serve, it’s about how you can keep the ball on the court and hold your composure when it’s time to win.”
Coming into this season, Demetriades has clearly stepped into a larger role since last year when he played on line three. Demetriades is embracing his larger role and has set some high expectations for himself this year.
“I want to win the district tournament, which will guarantee me an advancement spot in the state singles finals,” Demetriades said. “Also, I want the team to possibly make it to the finals as we did last year.
Demetriades knows that he will have to put in the work in order to improve and reach his personal goals for the season, which is why he is always striving to be a better player.
“I make sure that I try to play people who are as good as me or even better than me because I think that you can’t improve when you are playing with people worse than you, and that is a mindset I try to carry with me at all times,” Demetriades said.
