5.0 National Champs Look For 5.5 Title

TEACHING PROS FROM GREENSBORO ENJOY THE CHALLENGE

By Andrew Meyers/USTA Southern Intern

It was a long time coming. After finishing second four times at the USTA League Southern Section Championships, the 5.0 team from North Carolina finally was able to take the title last year, and moved onto the national tournament in Palm Springs, Calif. For captain Derek Gamble it was about time. “We were finally able to get over the hump, and to win a tournament as tough as this one was great preparation for our team,” he said.

After taking the title in Birmingham, the team looked to continue their success in Palm Springs, and they did just that. Winning the 2009 5.0 National Championship was vindicating, said Gamble. “It was great to take home the title; it was a great accomplishment not only to get to Nationals, but to win it all.”

After winning the National Championship in 5.0, the Band of Hopeful Brothers (their team name), now take their talents to the even tougher 5.5 level.

“There are many differences between 5.5 and 5.0,” said Gamble, “The ball is much bigger. There are better athletes, and the competition is always tough no matter where you are or who you are playing.” With the addition of two new players Susheel Narla and Chris Cagle, the Band of Hopeful Brothers are even stronger and are looking to add another title this year.

The team from Greensboro is filled with an all-star lineup. Every one of their players played college tennis, playing for Alabama, UNC Greensboro, Toledo, Utah, James Madison and North Carolina A&T. Now that they’ve moved on since college, all of the players are now teaching tennis at different clubs throughout the state. The team now practices on the weekends together, but often do a lot together off the court as well.

“We love to play golf together. We go on vacations, and we love to drink together as well,” says Gamble, “We are teammates and good friends, but also competitors because some of us competed against each other since juniors.”

Even though they are playing at a higher level, the expectations for this team are the same. As captain Gamble explained “We want to do well here, and because of our history as a team I like our chances.”