Spring Break
Humble Pie: Rafael Roberti thanks the team
Issue date: 4/10/08
The day of the Carnegie Mellon match couldn't have been sweeter for the leader of the men's tennis team, Rafael Roberti, who won both his doubles and singles line to earn his 45th win, breaking the Johns Hopkins record for most career singles wins. His performance propelled the team to a 6-3 satisfying victory over the Tartans.
The constantly-focused and humble team captain stressed the team win. "More importantly, the team got a much needed victory and we are finally all clicking heading towards the end of the season." In fact, "45 career singles wins was never in my mind until it was brought up recently," Roberti said. This is simply a testimony to the captain's mindset, always focused from the team's point of view, rather than his own.
Roberti has made gigantic strides since he first stepped on the court as a freshman. As a matter of fact, Roberti had been suggested to join the club team by head coach Chuck Willenborg after losing in a tryout match to fellow teammate Joe Vasoontara 6-0, 6-0. Roberti, undiscouraged, asked the coach for a second shot.
"I thought about it for about two hours, called him back and asked for another shot because I knew I could help this team. Coach gave me another chance and from then on we've had a wonderful four years," Roberti said.
The past four years have, indeed, been wonderful for the men's tennis team, especially in recent years as they have risen to become one of the best Division-III teams in the nations. When asked what was his most memorable experience on the team, he said, "My greatest memory is still clinching the victory against Washington College freshman year and giving Hopkins its first-ever conference title." He continued on, relentlessly shifting the focus to the team. "While we did not make it to NCAAs that year, the team had learned a lot about itself. Our coaches, Chuck and Dave, instilled a great foundation of hard work and team unity and they have really turned this program around."
The constantly-focused and humble team captain stressed the team win. "More importantly, the team got a much needed victory and we are finally all clicking heading towards the end of the season." In fact, "45 career singles wins was never in my mind until it was brought up recently," Roberti said. This is simply a testimony to the captain's mindset, always focused from the team's point of view, rather than his own.
Roberti has made gigantic strides since he first stepped on the court as a freshman. As a matter of fact, Roberti had been suggested to join the club team by head coach Chuck Willenborg after losing in a tryout match to fellow teammate Joe Vasoontara 6-0, 6-0. Roberti, undiscouraged, asked the coach for a second shot.
"I thought about it for about two hours, called him back and asked for another shot because I knew I could help this team. Coach gave me another chance and from then on we've had a wonderful four years," Roberti said.
The past four years have, indeed, been wonderful for the men's tennis team, especially in recent years as they have risen to become one of the best Division-III teams in the nations. When asked what was his most memorable experience on the team, he said, "My greatest memory is still clinching the victory against Washington College freshman year and giving Hopkins its first-ever conference title." He continued on, relentlessly shifting the focus to the team. "While we did not make it to NCAAs that year, the team had learned a lot about itself. Our coaches, Chuck and Dave, instilled a great foundation of hard work and team unity and they have really turned this program around."
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