Gordon Watson is deep in thought.
When he was younger, the right-hander on the UF men’s tennis team said he would always tell his dad "I’m going to work on everything."
His dad did not like that answer.
"It would drive him nuts," Watson said.
Now, in his third year of collegiate tennis, Watson is learning how to take a more individualistic approach with his tennis goals.
"Each week, coming out with a specific goal ‘I’m going to accomplish this today. I’m going to accomplish that today’ is the biggest for me," Watson said.
And Watson has seen some early accomplishments in Florida’s young Spring season.
The junior from Naples is already 2-0 in doubles play, winning both matches on the show court with fellow junior Diego Hidalgo.
But heading into the ITA Kick Off Weekend — which begins on Saturday and sees Florida host No. 29 South Carolina, No. 31 Stanford and No. 32 Ole Miss — Watson still has room to grow in his singles play.
He made his singles debut this season in Florida’s 5-2 win against Troy on Friday at the Ring Tennis Complex.
Playing on the No. 3 court, Watson dropped a three-set match to the Trojans’ Hassan Ndayishimye (7-6 (5), 3-6, 12-10).
"That was great that he was able to start last week," UF coach Bryan Shelton said. "I think he has a better understanding of what he needs to do to be successful out there on the court."
As one of Florida’s team captains, Watson has seen progression from the younger players on the team.
Watching them practice day-in and day-out is a key component to seeing where players need to improve.
"You come back, and you get to see where everyone is and see how hard they trained over break, but nothing compares to training here," Watson said. "You can train your butts off anywhere else, but when you come here, it’s just a totally different level."
And Shelton expects Watson to train his butt off to improve.
"He just needs to keep playing," Shelton said. "He loves the game. He loves to compete. I expect him to be fighting and battling out there for us this weekend and help lead the charge."
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Gordon Watson serves during Florida's 9-3 win against William & Mary.
