Months after officially beginning the 2023-24 season, senior Alex Petrov and freshman Jeremy Zhang stand at opposite ends of their career with Illinois men’s tennis. For Petrov, his time in orange and blue is running out, whereas Zhang’s is just getting started.
“Semester has been pretty good; I’m a senior, so I’ve been through it,” Petrov said. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job and it seems like the rest of the team has too.”
On top of just finishing his first semester of college, Zhang is also adapting to life in the United States. The move from Australia to Illinois was far from easy, but Zhang has been able to maneuver it well.
“I think it’s been a really good first semester for me,” Zhang said. “Coming from home has been a really big change, but (I’m) definitely taking positive strides and really looking forward to the spring.”
As a senior, Petrov is going to miss the guys the most but is ready to be done with school and start playing full-time. As a freshman, Zhang says he’s starting to get used to the adjustment to college life and settling in. In general, Petrov and Zhang have their eyes set on the spring season along with the rest of Illinois.
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“I’m really excited and I think it’s going to be a great season,” Petrov said. “I think some of our younger guys are maturing more, and I think that we can be a really, really dangerous team.”
“I’m really excited as well,” Zhang agreed. “The chance of traveling with your closest friends and playing together and competing; for me, at least, my first actual season; I think it’ll be a really sick experience.”
A goal both players want to see the team achieve is to win the Big Ten championship, a mountaintop that the Illini last surpassed when Petrov was a freshman. That experience adds to an already tight-knit group who all share the same hard-working ethic that leads them to do their best.
“I think it’s pretty fun,” Zhang said. “I think there’s a good balance of seriousness and joking around and banter and all that. I think it’s a good healthy mix. I think you need that in order for everyone to work together well and be driven towards the same goals.”
“My favorite thing about Illinois tennis is the culture between the guys,” Petrov said. “I think we’re different than a lot of other teams because we are closer with each other.”
The team couldn’t be where it is right now if it weren’t for the supportive coaching staff. Assistant coach Tim Kopinski is in his second season as an assistant coach for Illinois; however, his experience with Illinois also extends onto the court. Kopinski played for the Illini from 2011-15, finishing his senior year First-Team All-Big Ten and No. 59 in singles.
“I think we’re going to have an awesome season,” Kopinski said. “We’ve got pretty much everyone back from last year and we got some good additions this year. We’ve got some good momentum and I think everyone is really excited.”
As an assistant coach, Kopinski has some goals in mind for the team, like qualifying for the ITA kickoff, hosting the first couple rounds of NCAAs and going undefeated at home. To work toward these goals, Kopinski stresses the importance of control throughout and after the match, no matter the outcome, win or lose.
“In the fall, we worked a lot on how we respond in situations, and the guys are starting to buy into that,” Kopinski said. “Tennis is such a tough sport where you’re going to lose points nonstop, and how you’re going to respond is a lot of the time the determining factor in these matches.”
At the end of the day, just like the players, Kopinski is extremely excited for the start of the spring season.
“Personally, I’m just looking forward to competing,” Kopinski said. “Duo matches are a lot of fun. Atkins can get really rowdy, and it’s pretty cool to have your community behind you.”
Illinois men’s tennis will kick off its spring season on Jan. 20 with a pair of matches against Toledo and Kentucky.
