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March 17, 2016

We caught up with sophomore Henrik Wiersholm before practice this week. The sophomore recaps the wins in Tulsa, previews this weekend’s matches as well as talking about his tennis and culinary adventures in Florida last fall in this Q&A.

So you guys had a couple of really big matches down there in Tulsa. Talkabout how things went down there and the advantages of being able to play in the site of the national competition beforehand.
A: We had a really great week out there. It was nice to go for spring break without any classes or obligations and we were just able to focus on tennis, getting in shape, and getting to where we want to be at this point in the season. It was a good opportunity to be at Tulsa where we will be playing NCAA’s coming up. We got used to the courts and the environment. Some of our guys like Ty has played a lot of matches already there. Having done well in the fall, winning the national championships out there in Tulsa. It was good for each guy to get an opportunity to get a feel for the site.

Q: You guys have been gone for a really long time and your last home match was the ITA indoors, but now you guys are going to be outdoors this weekend. How nice is it going to be to be back playing at Snyder?
A: I’m really excited. I know the guys are excited as well. Like you said, it’s been a while since we’ve had an opportunity to play at Snyder, we just started practicing on the courts last week and it’s been pretty nice to be out here. The weather has been great and we’re just looking forward to some good matches coming up.

Q: You’ve been making a big impact on the body three courts playing four, five, and six this year. Ten and one in singles right now and in duel matches. What’s really working in your game right now?
A: What’s working in my game, I would say I’ve been working a lot on my serve and have become super disciplined in my style and in my identity. I’m making it really tough for guys out there. On the line-up you find a lot of guys who are ready to compete and will push you for every point. I’ve been there working at every point and have made it tough. I think that has been part of my success.

Q: speaking of making people’s lives tough, just before Christmas you we’re down in Pensacola playing in the play-in tournament and went on a little bit of a roll. Talk about your big victory and getting your first ATP points and your first ATP victory.
A: Yeah I don’t think anyone really expected that week to go the way it did. Like you said, I got my first point after I had actually lost the first set 6-0 in the first round and then ended up winning the match. I don’t know after that I started rolling and I think I found a rhythm there. I was able to go all of the way. I think that speaks to the fact that, I play on the bottom line-up, and any of our guys can go and win a future right now I believe, to be honest. It speaks to the program that we run and the level that we all play at.

Q: You had a really balanced fall playing collegiate and pro events. What does that balance in your schedule do for you coming into the spring season?
A: I think that it added, not so much the balance, but playing all of the tournaments really gave me the opportunity to get in as many matches I could coming into the spring. Those futures and stuff are great tournaments to play, but I think those collegiate tournaments in the fall are really high level and embracing them and playing those is a great way to get prepared as well.

Q: So one last question to give the fans at home a piece of your character, I asked you a bunch of questions earlier this year and one answer that struck me was that the craziest ting you had ever eaten was crocodile. Please explain to us the situation where you had crocodile.
A: Well down in Florida it is something that they serve. In some areas of Florida, I think I was in Niceville. It’s not a very prominent area of Florida, but in some areas they eat crocodile. It wasn’t bad at all. It was actually pretty good. It tasted like chicken.

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