The last Florida men’s tennis team’s season ended with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to UCF in the NCAA Tournament. But this fall, the team will look to take a step forward.
Head coach Adam Steinberg is entering his second year at the helm with two new assistants by his side: Max Koller and Anthony Rossi.
This year’s team features seven returning players, including sophomore Kevin Edengren, who won five singles matches in a row to end the regular season and will be seeking to continue his strong play this fall.
“That was big to get those wins later in the season,” Edengren said. “And you know, I want to continue that streak that I had for this fall. So, yeah, I'm super pumped and super motivated for that.”
A common narrative in tennis is the more comfortable you are, the better your performance will be. This rings true for both the physical and mental aspects of the game.
Edengren is a prime example of what happens when you settle into a collegiate program and get comfortable with your surroundings and new style of play.
When Edengren arrived on campus in January, it was his first time being a part of a team and in a college tennis environment. He was also new to playing most of his matches on a hard court surface.
These adjustments, along with a roster containing impressive depth, kept Edengren out of Florida’s competing lineup until early March.
“It was a bit difficult to come in the spring,” Edengren said. “I would rather prefer to come in in the fall so you can adjust more with the coaches, the team and the school a bit more.”
One of the biggest adversities Edengren overcame was the stylistic change in his game.
Edengren trained in Spain on red clay, which causes a slower, more defensive style of tennis — a playstyle he succeeded with in the past. By comparison, hard-court tennis in the U.S. is faster and more aggressive.
Florida’s coaching staff knew that Edengren had to adapt his play style if he wanted to be successful at UF despite his accomplishments throughout his career in Spain, Sweden and Malaysia.
“He bought into play[ing] more aggressive and trying to change some things, and things started to click for him,” Steinberg said. “Just playing more aggressive [and] looking to come forward more, I think building his game around his forehand more than he ever has, I think it's important for him.”
Once Edengren understood the coaching staff’s vision, his results and confidence improved. He re-emerged in the Gators’ lineup March 10 on the road against No. 9 Tennessee and made a statement, winning in straight sets.
From that point on, Edengren won eight of his last 11 singles matches, including five victories in a row to close out the regular season.
Edengren’s teammates noticed the change in his mentality on the court as he displayed his talents on a new level.
“He's become confident in himself,” graduate student JanMagnus Johnson said. “I think he's just more confident in his game, he's bought into all the advice from the coaches and stuff and working really hard off the court as well.”
Johnson also said it’s important to have a strong bond both on and off the court with teammates and coaches. He and Edengren spent hours together studying and hanging out, and it contributed to Edengren’s on-court success.
“You want to create good relationships with everyone, and I think the quicker you can kind of get to have a close relationship with your teammates [the better],” Johnson said.
With the fall season approaching, Edengren is excited to get started with his new teammates and freshly hired coaches.
“We have a strong team this Fall,” Edengren said, “and it's also a motivating feeling when you get new coaches and new teammates to show them we are on a winning team. We are very gritty out there. It'll be fun.”
Contact Chandler Hawkes at chawkes@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @HawkesChandler.
