Around this time last year, Florida made a lineup shift in doubles play.
Seeing the doubles team of senior Alexandre Lacroix and junior Nassin Slilam turn in inconsistent performances resulting in a 6-4 record, coach Andy Jackson made a switch.
Slilam was paired with sophomore Billy Federhofer, and the team clicked instantly. For the remainder of the season, the team of Slilam and Federhofer went 13-3.
“It starts because we’re really good friends,” Federhofer said. “We have each other’s back and we don’t point fingers at each other saying ‘you’re playing bad, I’m playing bad.' We’re really kind of a team, and that’s when we play our best.”
Jackson agreed with Federhofer. “They have a great chemistry, great understanding of each other’s personality and strengths from a technical side as well,” he said.
This fall, Slilam and Federhofer entered doubles play ranked 36th in the nation. After a pedestrian start to the season at 5-3, they won eight consecutive matches, including five against teams in the national top 50. When this spring’s dual match season started, they were ranked No. 4 in the country.
With the accolades came challenges, however, namely in terms of the difficulty of opponents. This season, they have played 10 matches against top-50 teams, going 5-5 in such matches. Slilam and Federhofer's doubles record is 10-7, which is identical to the team’s record.
Despite their shaky start, the pairing is still clearly Florida’s best. Jackson said that their success depends on several factors.
“They are very unconventional. It’s a style that the best teams in the country don’t see that often, so it’s hard for them to apply the correct tactics against Billy and Nassim,” Jackson said. “Billy does some things that are just extremely unusual and good, and Nassim has just been playing really good. It’s a combination of a lot of different things.”
To Federhofer, it all begins with the chemistry of the team. He and Slilam know each other’s game well enough where they can anticipate where the other person will be at almost any point during a rally.
“We both understand exactly what we like and where we’d like to be on the court, and that makes a big difference when we play these teams that are going to be very good,” Federhofer said.
