The mark of a mentally strong team is how it reacts when faced with adversity. In the case of the Wisconsin men’s tennis team, adversity has come in the form of injuries. Wisconsin has suffered injuries to two of its six starting singles players, but in both instances, young players have stepped in and performed admirably for the Badgers, providing immediate success and a glimpse of the program’s future.
Sophomore Mark Weinig stepped in for the injured Lachezar Kasarov, and now freshman Pete Amundson is emerging as a potential star in the absence of sophomore Alex Conti, who two weeks ago sustained an injury against Louisville.
Amundson has exceeded all expectations, jumping out to a 1-2 singles record and 3-1 doubles mark. All of Amundson’s matches have come against high-caliber Big Ten competition.
“We have been obviously really, really happy with his play,” head coach Pat Klingelhoets said. “He’s done a great job. He has worked his butt off.”
Amundson’s first match since Conti’s injury came against the No. 1 team in the country, the University of Illinois. Amundson and his doubles partner, redshirt junior Alex Kasarov, responded by delivering the only win of the day against the top-ranked Fighting Illini.
Amundson delivered another doubles victory against Purdue, this time with senior Scott Green as his partner, to help Wisconsin earn its first Big Ten victory of the season. However, it was Amundson’s play against the University of Iowa that may have changed the course of the Badgers’ season.
With the score tied at 3-3, Amundson was the last Badger left to play. The winner of the singles match between Amundson and Iowa’s Matis Jasicek decided the match, as Amundson came through in dramatic form, taking a three-set victory that was decided in a tiebreaker.
“He got that key win for us against Iowa, which was really crucial to this team,” Klingelhoets said. “If we would have dropped that match against Iowa, it really could have been devastating for this team. But Pete came through in the clutch — he was the last guy out there — and that could end up being a real turning point in our season.”
Amundson has exceeded everyone’s expectations with his play thus far, including coach Klingelhoets.
“He has played much better than I expected,” Klingelhoets said. “We were really surprised with his doubles play. I mean, we just didn’t think he was capable of playing doubles at that level, but he has really proved he can. In singles, he has gotten better each week.”
This season’s performance has generated excitement over what the young star may accomplish before he finishes his days as a Badger. With three full seasons still left to play, Amundson has a wealth of time to improve his game through experience and practice.
The key intangible that makes Amundson’s talent that much more exciting is the mental toughness he has demonstrated in stepping up for UW in the wake of Conti’s injury. The potential is endless for the Madison native, who may develop into a hometown hero.
“You can see he has potential in the following years to really be a big factor for us,” Klingelhoets said. “I can just see he is going to help us. Next year, he should feel like he’s going to be a starter from day one on this team. He’s got to build off this confidence he has gotten and this opportunity he has had to get in there. Really, there is no limit to how far he can go. He’s athletic, he’s got the size, he competes his butt off, he has a great serve and a good backhand. He can go as far as he wants to go. The sky is the limit.”
However, Amundson may soon find himself back in a supporting role with Conti scheduled to return this weekend.
“We are hoping to get him back in the lineup this weekend,” Klingelhoets said of Conti. “Whether he can go the rest of the year or not, who knows? It’s very likely Pete (Amundson) could be back in there for some more matches.”
Regardless of whether Amundson sees the court the remainder of the season, the freshman has already left his mark, especially in the victory against Iowa.
“If we can build off of that win and get a few more wins here and get a decent seed going into the Big Ten tournament, we got a chance to end up really good here,” Klingelhoets said.
Even if he does not assume a major role for the remainder of this season, Amundson should be a significant contributor in the future, giving Wisconsin tennis plenty to look forward to.
