South Windsor High School’s boys tennis kicked off their season on Monday, March 20th. Coached by Mr. Casey Tyler, science teacher at the SWHS, the boys are poised for a great season. 

After one of Coach Tyler’s students asked him to become the tennis coach, he replied simply, he couldn’t. Then after thinking about it, and remembering his love for tennis, Coach Tyler ended up accepting the offer. This is his second season coaching for the SWHS boys, but his sixteenth year coaching overall. 

Last year can be marked as a successful season, with trips to the second round of the state championships in both individual and team competition. As coach, he hopes to match that record or exceed it in the upcoming campaign. 

The boys are fierce and prepared for their season, headed by three captains. Trinayaan Hariharan and Sri Kiran Sripada are the two senior captains, and Kevin Joseph is the junior captain spearheading the battle.

Hariharan has been swinging a racket since he was five years old. He says he is encouraged with all of the talent he sees on the team, especially by the new freshman. He hopes to improve upon the record and groundwork the team set last year. Just like Hariharan, Sripada is eager to see the talent this year, along with the players with a lot of potential. 

Joseph explains the reason he went for the junior captain position was due to many past alumni of the tennis team expressing he had “great leadership skills and tennis skills.” Joseph’s tennis skills come from tireless practicing, as he has been playing since he was six years old. He marks the team as a “brotherhood.” 

After their scrimmage in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, on the 31st the boys travel to Glastonbury on April fourth. The last time the team played at Glastonbury was two years ago, where they were defeated 6-1. Joseph says that although Glastonbury is a strong team, but he believes that the SWHS tennis team has plenty of strength to win.