As the only Wolverine to travel to Tulsa, Okla. last week, it was up to senior Alex Petrone to make the Michigan men’s tennis team winners.
Petrone failed to do so, however, after losing to Duke’s Raphael Hemmeler, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (3), in the first round of qualifying at the ITA All-American Championships.
After Hemmeler handily won the second set after a slow start, he and Petrone went back and forth in the third set. Following a 6-6 tie, Hemmeler pulled away midway through the tiebreak, winning 7-3.
“It’s hard for a coach to be upset with a guy when he gave everything on the court,” said Michigan coach Adam Steinberg.
This early season test was a good experience for Petrone, the lone Michigan player at the tournament. Because of the combination of the timing and high level of competition, he was not in top form.
“Later on in the season, I’ll be more equipped to win those matches,” Petrone said.
Steinberg said he noticed that Petrone had streaks when he played really well but had some inconsistencies.
“I told him, ‘You gave everything you could and we’ll move on from there,’ ” Steinberg said.
Both Petrone and Steinberg are already looking ahead to the rest of the season and making sure Michigan reaches its full potential.
“If we keep up the good work in practice, I think that we will eventually see the results,” Petrone said.
Steinberg is developing the concept of teamwork in an individual sport in his first year as Michigan’s coach.
“I just want these guys to learn how to play together, and that’s besides all the results,” he said. “We need to build a culture of team here.”
Petrone’s goals include winning as many matches as he can for the team and setting a precedent for the younger athletes so they can do well in the future. One of Steinberg’s goals is also geared toward the future, but it will involve a lot of teamwork: He wants to bring a national championship to Michigan.
He led Pepperdine to that title in 2006, and his confidence speaks volumes to how he could make that goal a reality.
But for now, Steinberg’s main focus is on building team chemistry.
“My main goal is for the team to understand that this is about playing for each other,” he said. “Once we get to that point, all those other things will take care of themselves.”
Petrone may have returned from Tulsa with a loss, but the effort he gave for his team far outweighed the result. With plenty of season to go, Petrone’s effort exemplified what Michigan hopes to achieve.