Illini focus on resilience after abrupt end to season
Junior Alex Brown and senior Aleks Kovacevic rest between sets as head coach Brad Dancer encourages them during a doubles match against Baylor Feb. 29. After their season was abruptly cancelled, the players are focusing on directing their disappointment to empower their futures.
March 21, 2020
The Illinois men’s tennis team was stunned by the recent news of the cancellation of their season by the NCAA, in addition to the cancellation of all sports for the rest of the year in an effort to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The team had just sped out to a 2-0 conference start, including a road win over No. 23 Northwestern and a home win over Purdue last weekend. The team was set to host a double-header with Tennessee State and No. 7 Texas Christian on March 14, followed by a road trip to Kentucky on March 22 before diving back into Big Ten play.
Head coach Brad Dancer spoke about the sudden, unprecedented cancellation of the season, though the most important part of the process has been how “we’ve communicated to our student athletes, our fans, alumni, parents and so forth.”
Dancer emphasized that while the seniors may face the biggest challenges with the cancellation, the entire team feels the effects.
“We all keep talking about the seniors, but it’s everybody,” Dancer said. “Alex Brown was in the midst of the best season he’s ever had, and headed towards probably being an All-American. You got guys that are invested, they’re training all year long and they’re putting their heart and soul into this. It was an absolute crushing blow.”
Dancer is optimistic for next season. He is hoping that his players will use this to fuel their motivation to continue to succeed next year and beyond.
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“I think it’s a testament to the guys we have in our program that they were able to feel it and emotionally connect with the disappointment,” Dancer said. “But also feel like ‘Hey, what’s next for me.’ We talk about that all the time. Mental toughness is about moving on to the next chapter, no matter what.”
The future of senior Aleks Kovacevic is now up in the air, as he has previously stated he hopes to turn to professional tennis following college. To further complicate matters, the NCAA has discussed giving spring athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the unprecedented nature of the situation.
“It’s something I’m leaving to worry about a little bit later,” Kovacevic said. “This has all been a very big shock to me … It also depends on how I end up doing in the professional events, if those even end up happening anytime soon … Everything’s possible, but I’m just putting that off for a little bit.”
Kovacevic is also joined by Zeke Clark, Vuk Budic and Noe Khlif as the seniors in the program. Having not had much free time on his hands due to his investment in tennis, Kovacevic admits to needing to “figure out what I am other than a tennis player right now.”
Kovacevic misses the grueling aspects of the season.
“You don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” Kovacevic said. “Everyone says that, and it’s kind of a cliche thing, but it’s really true. Day to day, the practices and grind of daily life can feel monotonous … You don’t think about, ‘What if I didn’t play tennis, what if I was just chilling at home.’ I wouldn’t want to wake up for that 6 a.m. (practice), but I’m telling you now, I’ve been sleeping in, and it’s not that great of a life.”
