Women’s tennis is in the midst of their individual season, while preparing mentally and physically for their doubles season, which opens in early spring.
Junior Clara Whitaker and sophomore Theodora Chantava are looking forward to the spring season because of travel, togetherness and personal improvements. They are just starting to play doubles together and are excited for the opportunity.
“Because tennis is such an individual sport, when we play our dual matches, we’re really connected as a team (and) are cheering each other on (when) we’re all playing right next to each other,” Whitaker said.
Chantava is a recruit from Greece who moved to Wichita in October of 2022. She said she enjoys the wide range of opportunities and the positive tennis environment at Wichita State.
“We have a lot of opportunities in spring, like it’s match after match, week after week,” Chantava said. “I’m definitely looking forward to that.”
Whitaker and Chantava are hoping to play doubles together in the spring. They said it’s a whole different experience on the court with a teammate versus solo.
“To play with someone else and be right there with someone to encourage and keep the energy up is really fun,” Whitaker said.
In the spring, the team travels almost every weekend, players have to focus on balancing school with athletics, while keeping their mental health in mind.
“Making sure we’re all staying healthy mentally and taking breaks when we need to just because spring season can get really long because we’re traveling or playing almost every weekend,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker said the coaches are conscious of their players’ physical and mental well-being.
“My coaches are really good about giving us time when we need to or if we’re needing a lighter day, they’re really good about that,” Whitaker said.
More information about the Wichita State women’s tennis team can be found at wichita.edu.
