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05/05/2016 12:00 AMBrad Stutzman was introduced to tennis by his parents at a young age and he’s been training at the Guilford Racquet Club since he was six years old. Brad, who’s a sophomore on the Branford boys’ tennis team, loves the sport and plans to keep playing tennis long after his time with the Hornets is finished.
“I enjoyed it, so I continued throughout my years. I think it’s just the competitive feeling and a lifelong sport. I can play it in high school, college, and after,” says Brad. “I feel that it’s an important way to stay active and have a hobby. I’ll always have an outlet and I can play year-round, indoor and outdoor.”
Brad played a little bit of doubles in his freshman year at Branford and he enjoyed that experience, but says that he views himself as a singles player. Brad likes how the singles game challenges him to rely on himself and dig deep to come up with some winners.
“As a freshman, I played some doubles with Dan [O’Neill]. Having a teammate, they can help you out and it’s a way to show teamwork since tennis is usually just a solo sport,” says Brad. “I was always a singles player. I liked the singles aspect. Being alone, nobody else is in your head. It’s your job to fight it out and do the best you can.”
When Brad played singles as a freshman, he did so at the No. 4 spot, but this year, he’s taken control of the No. 2 singles position. Brad has seen immediate success since moving up the ladder as he claimed victory in his first eight matches this spring.
“He’s a good sport on the court and has showed a big improvement from when he was No. 4 last year. To get to that spot, he beat a senior,” says Branford boys’ tennis Head Coach Matt Fraenza. “He worked hard and has come out strong early this season. His confidence in the way he’s able to close out points, it’s a big difference this year. The way he fights the ball, the confidence he has to go for certain shots is different this year. That all starts from his training and how he got confident. That translates to how he started this year, where he’s up to [8-1].”
Brad put in numerous hours of hard work at Guilford Racquet Club during the offseason. The extra effort helped Brad improve his confidence and mental approach to his matches.
“As I improved over the offseason, I’ve gotten more confident, so my game has improved a lot. My mental game has strengthened a lot, as well. I feel it shows that I’m very persistent and hard-working. I’m willing to put in the extra hours to get better at something and excel through it,” says Brad. “I feel like the mental part of the match is the most important because that’s what gets you through the match and finish strong. It allows you to come out with a positive outlook, learn something, and do better from the match. When you have confidence, you can hit the ball easily without thinking about hitting it in or out. You trust your shots, play risk free, and can concentrate on the game.”
Aside from what Brad does on the court, he’s also well-rounded in terms of his academic success, participating in after-school clubs, and working at the Guilford Racquet Club. These are all things that have made quite the impression on Coach Fraenza.
“I think it’s important to note how many things different student-athletes have going on in their lives and how they balance things, keep a level head, and stay positive,” Fraenza says. “I think it’s very impressive that he’s able to juggle core classes, be on a robotics team competing in national tournaments, tennis, and also teaching. Balancing things in his life will serve him better. I’m impressed with his time management and the positive nature he has in general.”
As a junior pro at the Guilford Racquet Club, Brad has the opportunity to be a volunteer coach and he also participates in the Junior Buddy Tennis program.
“It’s run by the club for mentally disabled children. It gets them out playing tennis for an hour every Sunday,” says Brad. “It’s a great experience. It helps the kids out a lot and the volunteers learn about how to teach people how to play tennis, which is another good quality to learn.”
Brad typically works with kids aged 5 to 8 in his role as a volunteer coach. Brad feels that teaching the youngsters has provided a big benefit to his own game out on the court.
“I feel that it really shows me how a coach can help a player in the way they can bring knowledge into the team and allow the player to apply that knowledge in that game. It helped me learn to fix my mistakes,” says Brad. “A point perspective, say I’m having a bad ground stroke, I can go back to those basics and reform my swing to go back to what I can get it to.”