Serving her way through senior year, girls tennis captain Scarlett Wang is ready to kick off her final season in high school.
Ever since watching her friends play tennis in seventh grade, Wang has been passionate about the sport. As soon as she entered high school, Wang did not hesitate to join the team and has played for all four years.
“I get my motivation just from my pure passion for the sport,” Wang said in an interview via Instagram. “I think it is so interesting to hit the ball back and forth.”
Although Wang has been an excellent player for many years, one of the biggest challenges she faced was transitioning from a JV singles player to a varsity doubles player. Ever since she got into varsity, she was no longer good enough to play singles.
“This was a drastic change for me since I was never trained to play doubles, which meant I had to learn how to work with another person,” Wang said. “The feeling and mindset on the court from being all independent to getting used to having a partner was so hard to change.”
Although making varsity came with big changes, Scarlett easily integrated into the team, serving as the it’s captain for three years—a feat she considers to be one of her biggest achievements. Over the years, Wang has experienced many highs, cementing her love for the sport.
“My most memorable moment was during my sophomore year, when I had one of my games on my birthday,” Wang said. “As I was walking out of the court I saw my teammate lining up and creating a tunnel with their arms, and they were cheering me on with ‘We are proud of you, we are proud of you’. That was the moment I just completely fell in love with my team and the sport.”
Wang attributes her success in both tennis and life to her mom. She is Wang’s biggest inspiration and supporter, always encouraging her to improve.
“My mom is my biggest role model,” Wang said. “She taught me so much about how to be a person, a student and a daughter. She is my biggest cheerleader that always cheers me up and I know she can always back me up with support.”
Wang plans on continuing her tennis journey in college, where she plans to play with the school’s tennis club. The sport has become a big part of her life, and will always be part of who she is.
“Advice I would give is that don’t be afraid to ask others to play with you. They probably need someone to practice with them too, they’re just too afraid to ask,” Wang said. “Tennis is a lonely sport sometimes, but you have to be the person who finds the interesting element in it.”
