Soaring his way to state, sophomore Jaivanth Sathish finished as the runner-up in the boy’s singles in the Region IV-6A tennis tournament this past weekend in San Antonio.
With one of his toughest matches yet, Sathish wasn’t going to settle for anything less than advancing to the State Championship, proving his preparation and hard work were worth all the effort.
“I prepared like crazy for regionals. I had morning practice from 6 – 8 am every day. Then, after school I either went to the gym, did fitness, or practiced another hour and a half of tennis,” said Sathish. “The day before regionals I had to mentally prepare which meant no music, no social media, and no distractions. This helped me have a clear mind at regionals.”
With the tension high and the heat boiling on the court, the match was alive and Sathish had to push for victory despite the nerves and elbow injury he was enduring.
“Before and at the beginning of the match, I felt nervous but as I got settled into the match I started relaxing and playing loosely,” said Sathish. “Then, when the match came towards the end I started feeling a bit nervous especially because I had an elbow injury and didn’t want to prolong matches. However, in my semi final match I felt determined because I wanted to prove to myself and my coach that I could play through an elbow injury and still win.”
With the help of his mentor, his brother, Sathish knew he could accomplish anything he put his mind to. Throughout regionals, his goal as well as his brother’s support, motivated him to be determined and focus on a successful win for himself and the team.
“My biggest motivator is my brother because he has been with me throughout my whole tennis journey and he has helped me so much,” said Sathish. “I wouldn’t be anywhere near the person I am today without him. He taught me discipline, consistency, and working smarter which has helped me out a ton, and thinking about this automatically motivates me to be the best version of myself.”
Not only did his own family have his back through the pressure and rewarding experience, but so did his teammates and coaches. With the supportive community Sathish has, his accomplishment felt so much more than just a personal win; it was a team victory as well.
“My team has been such a big support to me! Every time I win or lose a point and I see my team cheering me on, I feel a sense of peace,” said Sathish. “I’m so grateful for them because they always come and support me even if I’m the only one on court and it’s 9:00 pm. Also, they all are very unique and are fun in their own way which has even helped me grow as a person off court.”
Even though the day didn’t go as Sathish had envisioned, his efforts made history for McNeil tennis.
“After the match, I felt ecstatic because this was the first time in McNeil history that someone went to states for tennis and I loved the exposure and experience,” said Sathish. “I hated being runner-up, especially because I had to withdraw in the finals as a result of my elbow injury. I really wanted to be first, but I made the right decision to pull out so I can be at 100 percent for states.”
Sathish will compete in the 6A State Championship May 7th and 8th in San Antonio hoping to once again make school history by bringing home gold.
“I’m going to try practicing every day in the morning and after school to prepare for states, focus on fitness, and try meditating,” said Sathish. “I am winning State and bringing back that huge trophy to McNeil.”
