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08/19/2021 12:00 AMThe Guilford boys’ tennis team saw its lineup fluctuate during the 2021 spring season, but one constant who played strong all year long was senior Walker Mulligan.
Walker manned the No. 1 singles position for the Grizzlies throughout the entire season this spring. A recent graduate, Walker finished his senior campaign with a record of 10-4 on his way to earning All-SCC Division I and All-State honors.
“The season went well, and I felt as if I got much closer to my teammates than I would have expected,” says Walker. “My favorite aspect of tennis is improvement, as much as it sounds cliché. I find tennis to be the most enjoyable when I find things I need to work on, and I notice significant improvement in those areas.”
Walker started playing tennis when he was three and has spent the last nine years on the competitive circuit. Walker was influenced by his family to give tennis a shot, and the sport quickly developed into a passion for him.
“I have been playing tennis for 15 years, and my parents really got me into it,” Walker says. “My mom played for Guilford High School, as well, so it’s cool that we are both able to say we played tennis for the same high school.”
Walker accumulated a record of 40-13 for his career at Guilford High School. Walker continually improved over the course of his time with the team, but his favorite memory actually came as a freshman, when Walker advanced to the quarterfinal round at the Class M State Championship. Walker knocked off the No. 9 seed and then beat the player who had defeated the No. 6 seed on his way to making the Class M quarters.
“My favorite moment as a player is from my freshman year, where I went on a run to the quarterfinals,” Walker says. “My match against the 9 seed in particular was an incredible battle, and I was so proud of myself for coming through and winning the match.”
Walker didn’t serve as a captain for Guilford in his senior year, but Head Coach Paul Malafronte says that he still did an excellent job of leading the team. Walker helped the Grizzlies shake off a slow start and play well down the stretch on their way to a nine-win campaign that included berths in both SCCs and states.
“Walker was not only our best player, but a true leader in every sense of the word,” Malafronte says. “Walker is a good kid who is good at a lot of things, so he’s always involved in other activities. This year, he had the lead in the school play, which caused him to miss some of our preseason workouts. But once he was available, he put in the extra effort to get to practice after rehearsal.”
Coach Malafronte feels that the Grizzlies were inspired by Walker’s performance at No. 1 singles this season. Malafronte says that Walker motivated his teammates to become better players, while essentially taking on a coach’s role.
“Once the season started, Walker put in a lot of work outside of practice to get his game to where he knew it needed to be successful,” says Malafronte. “When he was there, it was like having another coach helping his teammates, helping me during matches, and going out on the court and demonstrating the effort necessary to be successful in the sport.”
Walker says that Malafronte noticed some of the imperfections in his game this year. Walker believes that working with Guilford’s coach helped him develop into a stronger all-around player.
“My relationship with Coach Mal has been excellent. He communicated to me well and noticed a lot of things in my game that I could work on, and he made me more confident as a player,” says Walker. “Even though I wasn’t the captain, he did encourage me to take a leadership role on the team and kept me updated on his thoughts.”
Aside from Malafronte’s guidance, Walker looked for other ways to improve his game as a senior. Walker spent hours at a time on the course on a regular basis, and all of that hard work paid dividends in his final season with the team.
“To improve my game, I play matches against friends who I know can challenge me, as well as drilling from time to time,” Walker says. “Finding a few good hitting partners is the best thing a tennis player can do to improve.”
Walker will keep striving to refine his game when he plays tennis at the collegiate level next year. Walker is going to compete for the men’s tennis team at Connecticut College in New London.
“I am excited to be playing at Connecticut College next year,” says Walker. “It will be a great opportunity for me to continue my tennis career.”