For the first competition of the new year, a grueling four day tournament in Louisiana is hardly the way for the Mississippi State men’s tennis team to ease back into the season.Beginning Friday, however, the team prepares to do just that as it heads to New Orleans for the 2008 Southeastern Conference Coaches Indoor Championships, held in the city’s Health Club at the Hilton. Despite the expected jolt of playing competitively for consecutive days so early after break, head coach Per Nilsson expects his players to be ready for it.
“We just came back and started practicing this week, but most of the guys practice when they go home,” Nilsson said. “They know how important it is to stay in shape, and they had a workout schedule to follow while they were gone.”
The Bulldogs head into the championships ranked 55th nationally, based on the team’s performance in individual play in the fall. As the last individual competition before team play starts in February, Nilsson is treating the Coaches Championships as an important tune-up for the players as he attempts to find the most effective doubles combinations.
“It’s really like a continuation of the fall tournaments,” Nilsson said. “For the coaches, it’s really just for figuring out what we are going to do with doubles. We have nine guys that can all play, and the trick is to find out who can play with who the best.”
After several powerhouse performances in the fall tournaments, much is expected from senior Philippe Frayssinoux. The French native earned an impressive singles record of 14-3 through the fall, with many of his wins coming against higher ranked opponents. Frayssinoux has moved up from 40th to 14th in the latest national individual rankings, his highest ever ranking and leaving him the only Bulldog currently in the top 100.
“Frayssinoux seems really confident and ready,” Nilsson said. “I think he should be able to keep up his form from the fall.”
In last year’s SEC Coaches Championships, Frayssinoux was the only MSU singles player to advance to the second round. This weekend, however, Frayssinoux will be restricted to just the doubles competition as he nurses tendonitis in his hip. While the players are certainly up for this weekend’s tournament, Nilsson said the coaching staff is looking at the tournament more as preparation for the rest of the season.
With an eye towards their first match against UAB in February, Nilsson knows a result in New Orleans will mean nothing if they don’t carry that form into the start of the team season.
“These types of tournaments are usually more fun for the players than the coaches,” said Nilsson. “We’re just waiting for the real thing to start.