Nassim Slilam has a new haircut. He gave up his long hair and took on a much more polished look. Now, he is working on polishing his game.
The lone senior on No. 10 Florida, Slilam has had a spring full of ups and downs. His 8-7 record in singles is indicative of a player who hasn’t quite found his best stroke. But Slilam, who is entering the final phase of his Florida career, said he is finally beginning to play his best tennis.
“I just needed some confidence and to find my game,” he said. “On the baseline, I’m feeling really good right now. I have to hit some good shots and come to the net more often. Don’t go for the big serve, just get it in and play heavy with my forehand. I have to not back up on the baseline with my backhand.”
Earlier in the season, coach Andy Jackson made a remark one doesn’t hear often about a player — Slilam was trying too hard. Jackson said that his senior was running around the court an excessive amount. While Slilam is one of the more physically fit members of the Gators, Jackson was encouraging him to create offense to reduce the amount he was running.
Although his record may not indicate much of a change, Slilam noted that he was running less and getting in a more aggressive mindset. The key, he said, has been shifting his playing style from a defensive style where extending points is the goal to an offensive style where he looks to end points quickly.
“I’m just trying right now to hit the ball,” he said. “All the matches I’ve lost, I was defensive and the other guys were playing more aggressive than me. I lost a lot of matches like that. I was too far away from the baseline, I don’t see the ball, I play short and I have to run more and get tired. I’m good physically, but I lost a lot of three-set matches. “
By losing in three sets to Mississippi’s Marcel Thiemann on Sunday, Slilam dropped to 1-3 in three-set matches. That is particularly troubling because of Slilam’s fitness. His game is designed to wear down opponents. Instead, opponents are able to beat him with aggressive play.
Recently, though, Slilam has been showing signs of improvement. He has become much more confident in his ground strokes, and has been displaying very good cross-court shots in recent matches. What he hasn’t done to date is put everything together. Jackson believes that Slilam is much better than his record, and once the senior begins to play aggressively and still wear down opponents, he could make his final few weeks as a Gator memorable.
