If there is one reason above all others for the success Sahana Jayaraman and Larissa Lee Lum have had with South’s tennis team, it would be dedication.
In the off-season, Lee Lum, a junior, fills all her spare time with the sport — winter, spring, and summer. Sophomore Jayaraman, on the other hand, has battled through a tendonitis problem with her shoulder, even moving from a singles player to doubles, in order to keep playing while easing the burden on her shoulder. And the doubles partners have formed a bond on and off the court. The two even practice together on weekends.
On October 17 the girls won the state doubles title, after defeating Millburn in the quarterfinals, Moorestown in the semifinals, and then Haddonfield in the finals. It is the first time a South doubles team has been in the finals.
Still, the girls continued to play hard for South, even though the team fell to Westfield, 3-2, in the state group finals after defeating Atlantic City in the semifinal round on October 21. Lee Lum and Jayaraman won their match, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-0.
Lee Lum has lived in West Windsor since she was born. Her mother works for J.P. Morgan, and her father works at home. Lee Lum began taking tennis lessons when she was five years old, attended summer camps, and joined the middle school team in seventh grade. She entered as a freshman on South’s first doubles team and has remained there since.
Tennis to her is “a family sport.” Lee Lum’s sister, Kimberly, was also on South’s tennis squad before graduating, and she says her father also used to play. Even though she has loved playing tennis since she was barely out of her toddler years, “I wasn’t a really competitive player,” she said. “High school has given me that competitive edge.”
While Jayaraman has no siblings, she, too, has had a long history with her favorite sport. Jayaraman moved to Plainsboro from Hamilton when she was in first grade because of the school district’s reputation. Her mother works at the Bank of New York, and her dad has his own business. She began playing tennis when she was seven.
She played in various tournaments and has always worked on her technique. Every time that she would play in tournaments, however, she would irritate the tendinitis in her shoulder. Finally Jayaraman made the decision to solely play at the high school level.
Jayaraman started at second singles as a freshman last year, but said she was hampered by her shoulder problem so much that she was unsure if she would be returning to the team this year.
But, “I love tennis so much that, even with my shoulder problems, I never wanted to stop,” she said. “I would go through physical therapy.” She was so determined that she came back this year on the first doubles team by “just sticking with it and working on my technique to put less pressure on my shoulder.”
Being a doubles player required less strain on her shoulder. For one, she would not have to serve as frequently.
The two girls’ dedication has paid off. As the years go by, an already-renowned tennis program at South continues to achieve more and more of its goals. Last year the team won the Mercer County Tournament. This year, it repeated, but added a state sectional title to its trophy case. That win, 4-1 over Montgomery (ranked first in the state) on October 15, was its first since 2000.
Given South’s achievements, including their doubles title, “it’s going to be harder to do better,” as the season progresses and into her senior year, Lee Lum admits. That doesn’t mean she isn’t planning to try even harder, she said.
Over the previous two seasons, Lee Lum found herself the youngest player in her doubles team, playing both years with seniors as partners. Now, Lee Lum has gained the experience and feels she can contribute also as a mentor for Jayaraman. “I think our relationship is good because we don’t just talk about tennis,” Lee Lum said. “We’re always texting. This helps our friendship as well as our connection on the court. We have the same goals in tennis, and we practice on weekends together.”
Jayaraman echoes the sentiment. “We’ve really grown as a doubles team,” she said. “We really help each other get ready for the matches. If we’re both nervous, we’re both nervous the same amount. We’re always on the same page with everything.”
Both girls want to keep tennis in their lives after high school, perhaps at the college level, but both have not thought that far ahead. And for Jayaraman, a college career would depend on her shoulder. But, “if I can, I’d really like to.”
