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06/28/2018 12:00 AMJesse McGannon had minimal experience on the tennis court prior to joining the Westbrook boys’ tennis team as a freshman this spring. However, Jesse proved a quick learner who earned a spot in the Knights’ singles lineup, while picking up plenty of pointers that will serve him well throughout the rest of his high-school career.
Jesse had previously done karate, before some of his friends encouraged him to go out for the tennis team. Jesse started off the year playing doubles and had a record of 3-1 approaching the midpoint of the season, when he was promoted to the No. 5 singles position. Jesse notched a few more victories on the singles court to finish his freshman year with an overall mark of 5-6. He capped off the campaign by competing in the singles bracket at the Shoreline Conference Tournament.
“[Westbrook Head Coach] Dan Shapiro was very helpful and I learned a lot from him quickly. It all took off from there,” says Jesse. “I had a little background in tennis prior, but nothing formal. [Joining the team] was a good way to learn and improve quickly. I also had good friends on the team who I could play with any time. Practicing and hitting balls as much as I could to get down the basic skills helped.”
As one who’s played both singles and doubles, Jesse says that each of those experiences provides specific advantages and challenges. However, no matter where he’s playing, Jesse feels grateful for the chance to get better at tennis every time he steps between the baselines.
“In doubles, there is less running and you have a partner to rely on, which is nice, but you also don’t want to let that partner down,” Jesse says. “For singles, you have to rely on yourself and you have to try to prove your skills to yourself. There’s more running with singles, but playing both are fun.”
When Jesse started off this season, he was a little too keyed up on going for broke and trying to put the victory in the books right away. As the campaign unfolded, though, Jesse developed more composure and learned how to deal with the ups and downs in a match. Now that he has a good grasp of the fundamentals of tennis, Jesse feels he’s ready to take his game to the next level.
“In my first few games, I was tenser, and it was about trying to win for myself. After a while, I started to feel more relaxed—even after losses—and I started to feel calmer. Knowing I have the basic skills down now will help moving forward. It’s nice to know I can start expanding my game.”
Coach Shapiro says that Jesse wasn’t afraid to take some lumps as a freshman this year. Shapiro notes that Jesse used those growing pains to boost his confidence and become cerebral player. The coach believes that Jesse has nowhere to go but up.
“Jesse was a true beginner, but he immediately started working hard. He listened, he learned, and he wasn’t afraid to give it his best shot,” Shapiro says. “With each match, win or lose, Jesse gained confidence. He is very smart, and his understanding of the game was more developed than most first-year players. I was very proud of him. His progress from match No. 8 to No. 20 was remarkable. He’s an excellent student, and he’s becoming an excellent student of the game of tennis, as well. His tennis future is bright.”
Jesse still has three more seasons of playing tennis at Westbrook ahead of him. Moving forward, Jesse wants to continue working his way up the singles lineup, while helping the Knights get back to their winning ways.
“It will be nice to be moving up the ranks of the team,” says Jesse, who thanks Coach Shapiro and his teammates. “I hope to keep making the postseason tournaments and do better there and to get more wins in the regular season.”