The NCAA tournament is right around the corner for No. 3 Texas men’s tennis.
After bringing home the Southeastern Conference regular season and conference tournament trophies, the Longhorns must regain focus as they make their way to Waco. The route to the top remains rocky — with familiar foes and a string of injuries, Texas’ biggest challenge has yet to come.
While No. 1 Wake Forest poses as one of Texas’ most threatening opponents in the tournament, Texas’ history with No. 2 TCU remains fresh on the team’s mind.
In last season’s NCAA tournament, TCU won its first National Championship, taking down Texas 4-3 in the finals. Current Longhorn, Sebastian Gorzny, was on the court wearing purple and white last year as a sophomore. With the match tied 3-3, Gorzny clinched the victory over then-sophomore Jonah Braswell.
“When (Gorzny) was at TCU, I always found him to be a little scary on the court,” Texas head coach Bruce Berque said. “I always felt like he was one guy that it wasn’t really up to us when we were playing against him because if he really turned it on and played up to his ability and his instincts, he could take over the court. And so it’s nice to have him on our side.”
In a season that tested the Longhorns in every which way, the biggest threat has been themselves.
Throughout the year, Texas has had its fair share of injuries, and while they’ve yet to prove detrimental to the team’s accomplishments, it remains a looming threat as Texas approaches its postseason run.
Even when Texas reached the pinnacle of its SEC season this past weekend in Columbia, injuries remained a glaring issue. From the athletic trainers working on redshirt freshman No. 1 Timo Legout’s shins after a poor start in the semi-final against Auburn to visible fatigue affecting Gorzny throughout the tournament, injuries have challenged the team’s resistance.
“Pretty much every single one of us is dealing with some kind of injury,” Legout said. “We have two weeks now before the beginning of the tournament so (we’re going to) try to get healthy and try to keep the same mentality that we’ve had since the beginning of the year.”
Although injuries have threatened to derail the team’s momentum, Texas has stayed firm. The Longhorns have been tested in this position before, returning stronger each and every time. In November, Legout was forced to pull out of the NCAA Division I men’s tennis singles championship due to illness, leaving him with a feeling of unfinished business.
But the goal isn’t personal redemption, it’s delivering a title for the team that stuck with him through his ups and downs.
“I’m gonna make sure we win the tournament for the team,” Legout said. “That’s the biggest goal … it’s not about myself, it’s about the team.”
In a season full of uncertainties, Texas has shown the tennis world that it belongs. Losing six rotation players and moving to the most competitive conference in the country has yet to slow down the Longhorns. The NCAA tournament kicks off on May 2, when the Longhorns will begin their chase for history, attempting to bring the “triple crown” back to Austin.
