In the summertime on a tennis court, sophomore Katya Bergquist practiced her serves over the net. She kept hitting the tennis ball over and over again, trying to figure out what she was missing.
Without any prior coaching when walking into high school, Bergquist was determined to make the team and get better.
“She had no previous experience in tennis,” coach John Macapaz said, “but because of her hard work and persistence, has grown to love the sport of tennis and works tirelessly to grow her skill set.”
Her older brother, who played tennis previously, recommended her to start playing the sport.
This decision to take his advice was extremely influential to Bergquist. It has impacted her and connected her with people who gave her a support system. She found a sport that she can truly be passionate about and put her all into.
Without tennis, she said high school would be very different.
“Tennis made me more confident and I made more friends,” Bergquist said.
Bergquist’s love for tennis is obvious when she plays. Some teammates view Bergquist as somebody with a positive outlook. She lifts them up and brings a sense of joy to those around her.
“She is very fun,” sophomore Collins Simpson, the JV manager said. “She’s not a negative person at all, she even makes losing fun.”
Teammates and coaches said Bergquist’s strengths are her serve and forehand. They said those skills make it difficult to play against her, but fun when playing with her.
“Katya has a huge forehand and serve, but she’s still learning how to control them and be more consistent with them,” Macapaz said.
Tennis is a sport that requires a strong mentality. Despite Bergquist’s strengths, she said she can easily develop a negative view on her overall abilities.
“I want to just to get better, to fix my mental part of it and have fun.”
All players have their ups and downs. Like many others, Bergquist said she often gets in her own head and second guesses her playing abilities.
“She should stop being so hard on herself. She thinks negatively about herself although she’s a great player and teammate,” junior Aiza Sheikh said.
This challenge comes across as difficult to Bergquist. But after being tested endlessly, she found a home within tennis. Her constant persistence inspires others to find their passion and thrive alongside it.
“She could barely hit a ball at the beginning of her journey in tennis,” Macapaz said. “Now, she’s one of our hardest hitters and hardest workers, which is a sign of her character and heart, qualities that we love about so many of our tennis athletes.”
