After an overachieving 2002 season that ended in a NCAA round of 16 run, the No. 10 men's tennis team is back to old form for the 2003 year.
"I was talking to [head coach] Jay [Lapidus] about it [recently]," senior co-captain Michael Yani said. "We're going to be pretty good--about as good as we were two years ago."
Two years ago the Blue Devils, led by one of the best senior classes in Duke men's tennis history, made an NCAA quarterfinal run before losing to Georgia 4-3.
This season's squad is ready to improve on that showing, and again Duke is doing it with one of its top classes. However, unlike the senior-laden Elite 8 group, the 2003 Blue Devils have a base a freshmen who may, by the end of their tenure, be the best Lapidus has ever recruited.
Leading the way for the young crop of Blue Devils is Ludovic Walter, who stormed onto the fall season reaching the round of 16 at the ITA Region II Championships. In the last month the Vannes, France, native has continued his winning ways, reaching the finals of the ACC Indoor Championships in Winston-Salem.
Walter is joined by fellow freshmen Stephen Amritraj, Chris Brown, Stefan Rozycki and Jonathan Stokke.
Both Amritraj and Stokke participated, on separate teams, in the doubles draw of the 2002 U.S. Open, and both, along with Brown, had varying degrees of success in the fall.
Along with their freshmen the Blue Devils also return nearly all of the Sweet 16 team from last season, giving Duke that rare combination of experience, young energy and depth.
Sitting atop the team ladder for the third straight season is junior Phillip King. Ranked No. 7 nationally in the preseason, he will try to defend his ACC player of the year title and shoot for national No. 1 honors.
Yani sits comfortably at No. 2 singles for the Blue Devils with Walter likely playing No. 3.
After that Duke's ladder becomes hazier, as Lapidus has a number of options for the No. 4-6 spots. Senior co-captain Yorke Allen, Stokke and sophomore Jason Zimmerman, a regular at the third slot last season, could all see plenty of action at the positions in question.
Zimmerman in particular has improved from last season, shedding a few pounds and adding time in the weight room--moves that should pay off when he returns from a late winter injury.
However, Amritraj, Brown, junior Ryan Heinberg and sophomore Peter Shults, who saw lots of time at No. 6 in 2002, could all challenge.
At doubles, King teams with Yani to lead Duke and form the No. 9 team in the country. Much like singles, the Blue Devils could play any number of teams at second and third doubles. The only other ranked pair Duke has is Amritraj and Stokke at No. 38.
With this type of depth, Lapidus has the luxury of not only playing matchups, but also giving his players rest during the season-especially since fatigue was an issue in the late stages of the season for last year's squad.
"Last year I played every match, and at the end of the season I was dead," Yani said. "The added depth this year is going to be awesome. I have a lot of confidence in our guys [further down the ladder]."
Aside from winning on the national stage, this year's Blue Devils will also try to keep their 48-match regular season ACC winning streak alive.
North Carolina nearly snapped the streak last season, and again the Tar Heels, in addition to Wake Forest, could compete with Duke for the ACC crown.
Although both squads will challenge the Blue Devils, each will both need the combination a great performance to go along with an off-night for Duke. This appears unlikely, however, as the Blue Devils have returned to their old form with their new-found depth allowing them to contend for another national title.
"There are some huge changes [from last season]," Yani said. "We have 12 guys who can play almost any spot, so we're not worried about depth.... Things are going well."
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