Shiwanee Rangaswamy and Rachel Rubinstein are both vying for first singles on the girls’ tennis team this year. (Staff photo by Samantha Sciarrotta.)
There is a fresh look to the Lawrence High girls’ tennis team, with an influx of promising ninth graders and a new coach in Greg Zenerovitz.
There is also some important familiarity, as seniors Rachel Rubinstein and Shiwanee Rangaswamy are back for their fourth seasons on the Cardinals. Rubinstein was second singles as a freshman and first singles as a sophomore and junior. Rangaswamy was an alternate as a freshman and has played second singles the past two seasons.
Heading into this season when practice began on Aug. 17, the goals of both were predictable—Rubinstein planned on maintaining her top spot, and Rangaswamy planned on doing her best to finally wrest first singles away from her good friend.
That’s the important thing to note: it’s a friendly competition, and they have used their friendship to provide some nice leadership in the off-season.
“I don’t know a ton about them as players yet, but I will say this, they’re very nice girls, they’re good people,” said Zenerovitz, a former girls basketball and golf coach at Lawrence. “They’ve been organizing summer practices. I’m very impressed with their senior leadership. When you have leadership like that, whether it’s basketball, golf or tennis, it’s very important.”
That leadership hasn’t come by accident. The two girls have developed a chemistry since meeting as freshmen and are both looking for a promising season by Lawrence after some tough years in the past.
“We’re close both on and off the court,” Rubinstein said. “Having played since my freshman year, being a team leader has come naturally to me. We’re looking to improve upon last year’s record and are excited to welcome all the new players.”
Rangaswamy noted that with a roster of 35 players for Zenerovitz to pick from (it’s a no-cut team), there is more talent available, but that “It is vital for each individual player to improve, which will gradually lead to a competitive team.” She added that the two have watched and learned over the years.
“Now it’s our turn,” she said. “We will both be seniors so it was important that we took the [leadership] initiative. In order to make the [coaching] transition smooth, we figured it was best to organize some optional practices throughout the summer. We enjoyed working with our teammates and it was a great way to keep in touch with a sport we all love.”
Both players have a long-time passion for tennis. Rubinstein followed her sister’s footsteps and began playing competitive tennis in sixth grade at the middle school. Her entire family plays, and “we enjoy playing whenever we can.”
Rangaswamy’s career goes back even further. She began playing at age 6 “because a lot of my family members are engaged in the sport, especially my dad. He really pushed both me and my sister into the sport. We both love tennis and we always look forward to going to the US Open every fall.”
Prior to joining the high school team, she played in the USTA Junior League.
“Tennis is definitely one of the sports that I enjoyed as soon as I picked up the racquet,” she said. “I would get, and still get, frustrated sometimes, although it is something I love and I always aim to get better and better.”
Getting better is the only way to survive in the Colonial Valley Conference, which churns out some of the state’s top players on a consistent basis. Many times, Rubinstein is going against a Top 10 USTA Middle States player at first singles.
“Playing first singles in Mercer County has been a humbling experience,” she said. “There are no easy matches in Mercer County. Playing in the CVC, I have learned how important it is to have a variety of shots in my game.”
Rangaswamy gets a few breathers at second singles but is still coming up against top-flight competition more often than not.
She would have it no other way.
“I’ve loved every bit of high school tennis,” she said. “It’s great to have the easy wins but obviously to have to face the difficult players as well. I would definitely say playing the challenging players have been my fondest moments. Even if I am losing, I am constantly learning from the opponent.”
She added that because there is always room for improvement, it’s vital to have an open mind while playing.
“I always remember,” Rangaswamy said, “that tennis is both a mental and physical game.”
In assessing her game, Rubinstein feels comfortable playing with anyone at the baseline, “but my net game could certainly use some improvement.”
Rangaswamy feels her game constantly evolves.
“I like to bring in some new techniques every year, just to change up my game for the opponent,” she said. “I love playing on the baseline, therefore my net game is my weaker point. Although I try to come up to the net in order to improve my game up front. When my serves are in the ‘zone’ I would definitely consider that a strong component of my game.”
Zenerovitz is counting on both girls to help build a tennis renaissance at Lawrence, and the seniors feel he may be the right man to lead the way.
“We are very excited to work with Coach Z,” Rangaswamy said. “We heard he is a great coach.”
Rubinstein echoed those comments. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about his coaching style,” she said.
And the two seniors are doing what they can to help their coach debut in style.
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