Duke senior Torsten Wietoska is finally healthy—only suffering a blister this season—and is in the prime of his college career.
This is a first in his tennis career riddled by injuries, and he will be a critical element as the third-seeded Blue Devils travel to Cary, N.C. to play in the ACC Tournament. Duke will play the winner of the NC State-Boston College matchup at 3 p.m. Friday.
Four years ago, the Blue Devils signed Wietoska, the No. 2 college recruit in the country out of Van der Meer Tennis Academy, adding him to a young roster according to the College Recruiting List. At the beginning of his Duke career, Wietoska started off strong going 11-1 in the first part of the spring season. The morning before the team’s first ACC match, however, he partially tore his MCL—a ligament critical to the stability of his knee—sidelining him for approximately three months. After enduring what was probably the worst injury he has suffered during his college career, Wietoska was finally able to come back for the NCAA tournament but still could not fully support his team as he was mid-recovery.
Following many hours spent in the training room, Wietoska came back healthy and ready to compete in the fall of his sophomore season. He recorded a 19-15 singles record and a 5-5 ACC record playing matches at both the third and fourth singles position and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 77 in singles nationwide. Even though Wietoska played the entirety of his second season as a Blue Devil, he once again struggled with his health, this time with a nagging groin injury.
“I am not the most flexible kid and obviously when you feel healthy you don’t take care of your body,” Wietoska said. “So, at one point I think I pulled my groin, kept on playing, had a sports hernia by the end of the year, which kind of dragged through my entire summer at home.”
The effects of the injury lasted longer than the summer and Wietoska was forced to stay at home in Germany through the fall semester of his junior year and did not play tennis for almost seven months.
“Doctors at home told me I should get surgery or at least take it slow, and I was frustrated. That was probably the lowest point of my college career,” said Wietoska. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to play at all again.”
Wietoska came back in the spring of his junior year, and after sitting out the first three months following his arrival to campus, he achieved a 6-5 singles record.
“Coming back, seeing all my friends again and being around the team was a really rewarding moment,” Wietoska said. “Just to know I can start all over again, I can have the chance to play again.”
He said his injuries did not affect the style of his game, but they thwarted his development as a player during those stretches of time. For him, the hardest part was getting back up to the same level of play because he says he does not “feel the ball so much” and needs to spend extra time out on the courts practicing to keep up his game.
But now, in his final year as a Blue Devil, Wietoska is healthy entering the ACC tournament. He is currently playing third singles and has racked up a (25-7) record this season, peaking during the National Indoors in November.
“It feels good to go out to practice and not have to worry about things. Like right now I have a blister and I guess after the injuries I have had in the past, I can’t complain about that at all,” Wietoska said. “Especially as a senior, this is the last time for me, I have to make it count.”
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