The University of Wisconsin men's tennis is headed to Miami this weekend, but not to watch the Super Bowl.
Instead, the Badgers will duel with the national-powerhouse and No. 10-ranked Hurricanes at Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Eyeing the storm, Miami features two of the best players in the nation — All-American senior Luigi D'Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) and sophomore Daniel Vallverdu (Valencia, Venezuela).
Playing top-tier talent under the Miami sun will provide the Badgers with ample opportunity to put themselves on the national radar with a few upsets.
"We're ready to give it all we've got, and we have nothing to lose," No. 1 Badger singles player Jeremy Sonkin said. "We're unranked, and have everything to gain when we play against top-ranked teams. The whole team is pumped up and this win could put us over the top."
The 'Canes have opened up the new tennis season with a flurry, picking up two 6-1 victories. Despite Miami's intimidating ranking and fast start, Sonkin and the Badgers are up to the challenge, even if they have a few jitters.
"It's hard not to be nervous when playing a team like this," Sonkin said. "We're so excited to go down there and give it our best shot."
If UW does fall Sunday, it knows there will be numerous other opportunities to get the rest of the way.
"This is only one match," Sonkin said. "We have the rest of the season ahead of us."
Thus far, the Badgers' season has gone according to plan; they swept Butler 7-0 and dismantled Northern Illinois 6-1.
Wisconsin's newest asset, freshman Moritz Baumann, who was recruited from Inzlingen, Germany, played extremely well in his first action as a Badger. Slated as the No. 2 singles player through the first two matches of the season, Baumann downed Butler's Evan West 6-3, 6-1. Rolling the wave of momentum, he continued to shine against Northern Illinois, defeating Alex Friesen 6-2, 6-2.
Despite the hot start by the reloaded Badgers, Sonkin and crew know that this will be their biggest test to date here in the early goings.
"We need to take advantage of the situation and play our best," Sonkin said. "If we can pull this off it will be a career turning point for the rest of the team and [myself]."
While the match is non-conference, and Miami is an unfamiliar foe, Wisconsin is sticking with the same strategy it uses for every match.
"We need to keep the same mindset, regardless of who we are playing and what it counts for," Sonkin said. "We know it doesn't count for conference, but we're going into this match as if we're playing the No. 1 team in the country — we try to keep that mindset for every match."
While the Badgers play their huge match against Miami, city dwellers will be preparing for one of the biggest sporting events of the year: the Super Bowl. Illinois native Sonkin is euphoric that he'll be in Miami the day of the big game.
"It is incredible to have a chance to be down there," Sonkin said. "I can't wait to see all the people from Chicago down there and the support from my home town. [Plus], I've never been near Super Bowl action."
As for Super Bowl predictions, Sonkin laid down his thoughts without delay.
"I know the Bears are going to win," Sonkin said. "It might be close, but they are definitely going to win. Have you heard what Colts stands for? Count on losing the Superbowl!"
