For Campus High School senior Tristan Synder, this tennis season was about more than wins and losses. It was about growth, confidence and learning how to trust the work he put in behind the scenes.
“My primary focus this season was fixing a lot of my technique and playing a lot more confident,” Synder said. “I realized that I need to trust myself more, because if I didn’t, I would baby every hit and that would cause me to give my opponent easy shots.”
That confidence did not come overnight. Synder said he gradually rebuilt his game during practices, focusing on improving his mechanics while developing a stronger mindset on the court.
The results showed in his progression from 2025 to 2026. After posting a 4-15 singles record and 4-2 doubles mark in 2025, Synder improved to 8-5 in singles and 13-6 in doubles this season. He also earned multiple tournament finishes, including two third-place medals, one second-place finish and one first-place medal.
Synder credits much of that success to the strengths he developed throughout his career.
“I would say my biggest strength is my serve, my mental, and my positivity on and off court,” he said.
His serve became one of the most reliable parts of his game through constant repetition and practice.
“My serve is one of my most consistent shots,” Synder said. “I practiced it so much that I didn’t double fault for two whole meets.”
He also worked tirelessly to improve his forehand and add more power and spin to his game during the offseason. Alongside teammates after school, Synder studied videos and refined his form until he found a style that fit him best.
“I was able to find a serve that fit me well, a kick serve,” he said. “Learning that serve helped a lot because the amount of spin I would put on it would either cause the return to go out or an easy shot for me to put away.”
Beyond his own performance, Synder became a steady source of encouragement for his teammates, especially when transitioning into doubles competition.
“The way this helped my team is that I was able to be a role model this season by helping the team keep a positive attitude,” Synder said. “When I switched to doubles, I was able to always keep the spirits high and keep the synergy flowing.”
Although Synder and his doubles partner narrowly missed qualifying for state, he said the season still left a lasting impact on him.
“I’ve learned so much more from losing games than I have from winning,” he said. “Being able to understand why we lose changes the way we think about our next match.”
Looking back, Synder said he is grateful for everything tennis brought into his life after first picking up the sport during his freshman year.
“Though I’m sad to see it go, I’m very happy I picked it up one random day freshman year,” he said.
