Reflections with a Captain

As the Duke men's tennis team prepared to travel to Rome, Ga., for the ACC Tournament, junior and team captain Andrew Zhang reflected on what he considers the "most fun year" of his Blue Devil career, his leadership role and how the 2022 team's confidence blossomed in the last six weeks of the regular season heading into postseason play.

Duke wrapped up the regular season with a loss to Wake Forest to compile a 16-7 overall record and an 8-4 ACC mark. With Zhang's freshman and sophomore years impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, he credits this year's team with having the kind of chemistry that "was missing from the program the last two years."

At the start of this year, Zhang had already set high expectations for the spring season due to his unwavering belief in his teammates and their commitment to not only Duke University, but for the sport itself, noting that, "everyone cares about each other, everyone wants to work as hard as they can because if they did not care about tennis, they would not be here, and they would not be playing DI collegiate tennis."

During Zhang's freshman year, the team experienced a strong start with a 13-2 record before the rest of the season was cut short due to the pandemic. In returning last year, the Blue Devils posted a 12-11 record (6-5 ACC) and made the NCAA Championships before falling in the opening round.

"We had a down year last year, but at the same time, we were a really young team, only graduating one person. I always knew we were going to be way better this year," Zhang said, bearing witness to all the team's hard work paying off. That work and team chemistry contributed to the team's growing confidence over the last 10 matches of the regular season.

"I really think things are starting to click for us. In the beginning of the season, we were playing well, but we are a young team, so we lacked experience in our tougher matches," Zhang recalls.

After winning three consecutive matches to kick off the season, the Blue Devils suffered two back-to-back 4-3 road losses against South Carolina and Northwestern. "That really stung," Zhang laments. "But those early defeats ended up serving as learning experiences for the team in "what not to do" as to not make the same mistakes again. We've had a couple tight matches that went our way later in the season, and that felt really good."

The turning point for the team was more of a gradual transition built on the accumulation of good wins rather than a specific event. Zhang recalls noticing a shift during their spring break trip when ACC play took them to Florida in mid-March for matches against Florida State and Miami

"Those are two very competitive, very gritty teams and I think we were able to show how gritty we are as well," Zhang said. That weekend saw Duke pull out a 4-3 win over Florida State and a 4-2 win against Miami for a boost in the team's confidence. "Those teams are known for fighting until the very last point, so I think that was a big turning point for us, especially because we were not used to Florida's heat and humidity. I am really proud of my team for that."

The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native speaks highly of his teammates and views this year's squad as a special team. He has been an integral part on the court with the team's best singles record at 21-8. Playing mostly in the No. 2 position in the lineup, Zhang had an 8-1 mark in ACC matches. "We all really want to win; we care a lot about representing Duke and the program. We're all brothers who care about each other on and off the court," explains Zhang, who posted a singles records of 19-5 and 13-5 his first two years.

Though he never credits himself, the leadership role of a team captain is one of many determining factors in the overall culture of a team.

"I don't really think I've changed that much," Zhang says of being named team captain at the start of the season, though he admits he has had to grow into the role.

"In my freshman year, I was shy, and if I didn't have to talk, then I wouldn't," Zhang continues. "As I grew older and became an upperclassman, I felt that I needed to be more vocal. Obviously, I am still on the reserved side, but I am definitely trying to speak up more and be the kind of leader that a captain should be. I think my greatest strength is leading by example, whether it be showing up early, putting my head down and working, or not complaining."

The temperament Zhang describes as the recipe in making a good leader is the same attitude he recalls in helping the team overcome adversity in the previous season.

"While Covid was more of a negative than positive, if there was a positive to take away from it, it is that playing through such a tumultuous time made us tougher," Zhang said. "There were guys in and out of the lineup with Covid or other illnesses, so we had to lean on that next-man-up mentality. That time period was able to show us how deep we are and how many different pieces the team can contribute. It was great to see, and not only did it make us physically stronger, but it made us mentally stronger, too."

As the team began postseason play with the ACC Tournament, Zhang discussed what it is like being a part of the conference, competing in the rivalry with North Carolina, and how the team is "100 percent more excited heading into an ACC match."

"Waking up to play UNC (on March 17) – I can't really explain it, but it's a whole different feeling. We're so focused, so locked in because we not only want to do it for the team and our coaches — we also want to do it for our school."

With Zhang and his Blue Devils aiming to make a run in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, there is a lot left to be decided on the court before the captain puts a bow on his third Duke season.

"The ACC Tournament is a special time," Zhang described. "It's exciting seeing who the best in the conference is, and there are so many good ACC teams this year. Going into it with momentum is huge because confidence is such a big part of tennis, and I think we have that. When we play to win, we play aggressively and we play for each other, making us such a hard team to beat."

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Players Mentioned

Andrew Zhang

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