Ben Kopecky is a senior on DePauw University's men's tennis team. He was recently named the NCAC Tennis Player of the Week on March 31st. He combined an overall record of 11-1 on the Tiger's spring break training trip and posted a 6-0 record at No. 2 singles. TDP Sports caught up with Kopecky to bring you this interview. Here's what he had to say:
The DePauw Sports (TDP): Has your attitude changed this season, your last with the Tigers? If so, how?
Ben Kopecky (BK): I have had much more drive this year than in years past. At each practice, not only do I hold high standards for myself but for my teammates as well. I've made it a point this year to make the players around me better. I'll push them when we do drills and take time to work with guys when they are having troubles with a certain part of their game. My mentality has been "leave it all on the court." I have three weeks left of my competitive tennis career, and I want to look back on it and know that I gave it everything I had
TDP: You went 11-1 over the Tigers spring break trip. What can you attribute to this strong performance?
BK: In the week leading up to the spring break trip, I did not play due to a wrist injury so I went into the week pretty cold physically but luckily for me tennis isn't merely a physical sport. Mentally, I was really focused on proving to my teammates, coaches and myself that I had some good tennis in me. I might not have practiced well that week, but when it came match time I was confident in my ability to wear my opponent down because a match between two similarly skilled players comes down to will.
TDP: What drove your decision to join the Tigers?
BK: The decision was made for me when I went out to eat with the team as a prospective student. I had been looking at schools similar to DePauw, but none of them had a team that was nearly as close-knit as the one here. People sometimes think of tennis as an individual sport, but college tennis is without a doubt a team sport. The support system around you can make or break your career, and I believed DePauw was going to give me the best environment to succeed. Also, the weather here is much better. We could only play outside four months a year in Minnesota.
TDP: What do you expect from the Tigers men's tennis team for the rest of the season?
BK: I expect us to train as hard as we can for the next three weeks and leave nothing on the table. If we can do that, I think we have a pretty good chance at beating the Kenyon [University] powerhouse in the conference tournament. But above the results, I expect these guys to have fun with the end of this season. We play sports for the big moments, when everyone is watching. We have an extraordinary team this year with a lot of talent, and we have put ourselves in a very good position going down the final stretch. It could be a lot of fun to do something special come conference tournament time and that would be a great way to cap off this season as a team and personally, my career.