Camryn Lazard

Senior Vishal Shankar hits a forehand at the men’s tennis State championship on Oct. 18. Shankar went on to win his match 6-4 in two sets. This helped Carmel claim their victory over Homestead 3-2 and bring home the state title.

What’s your favorite memory from your tennis career so far?

I think it’d have to be the last match of my senior season, winning it all for the Greyhounds on that day, especially the last point. I think around 600 people were watching me. As soon as I won that point, I just felt a sense of relief. I thought I was dreaming for a bit, but it was real.

Who has been your biggest influence or role model in tennis?

Definitely professional players, but I like to go to local legends, like Rajeev Ram and Nishesh Basavareddy. On the pro tour, I’m going to say Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and even older players like (Roger) Federer as well. I’ve looked up at those guys.

What’s been your most challenging match so far?

It’s 100% got to be my last match, especially with all the pressure riding down on me. That was the first time I’ve ever felt that much pressure, and I was ready for it.

What goals do you have in the sport for the future?

I still want to keep playing competitively. I still want to go on, let’s say, a doubles grind, and maybe play for a club. I want to even play after college as well.

How did you handle your nerves before the final match?

Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about anything before the match. 
I was like, “Yeah, it’s got to happen.” I didn’t overthink it. Nothing really went through my brain, even through the match.

Going into the tournament, how did you feel about Carmel’s chances of winning?

We had to stick together as a team, which we did. That gave us a lot of hope that we would win the State title. I think it was that we focused and we enjoyed the journey. That’s what our assistant coach said, like every day.

What did training look like leading up to the state tournament?

There was a lot of match play. I think we focus mainly on match play, and we were trying to do a little bit of fine tuning. Regardless, it was mainly just match play. We were just trying to get ready for a State tournament.

What was your first thought after winning your final match? 

I didn’t even think it was real, because mine was the last match. I didn’t think it had happened for, like, the first 10 minutes and then I realized, “Oh, wait, I did it.”

Who was your biggest supporter through this season?

My parents are definitely my biggest supporters; they’ve done so much for me. There’s another person I want to thank: our super fan who always shows up to matches. His name’s Eric.

What first drew you into tennis?

When I was, like, 6, I saw the game. I watched a bunch of tennis matches, but I didn’t really get that much interest in the sport until I was 10 or 11. I just felt like it was fun to see, fun to watch and fun to play. 

How has your game evolved since freshman year?

I felt like freshman year, I was just a scrappy player, I could just get the ball back and play, and I’m still the same person, but now I just have a little bit more of an aggressive play style when I needed it, and freshman year, I never had that. 

What is one piece of advice you would give to the incoming freshmen on the tennis team?

Failure’s never final.