For Campus High School senior Isaac Griswold, the final high school tennis season was about much more than wins and losses. It was about enjoying the experience with teammates, continuing to improve and embracing the mental side of the sport.
Griswold said his biggest goal entering the season was simple.
“Enjoying my last high school tennis season with my teammates while also doing my best to improve on the skills I had already developed,” he said. “My main goal for this season was to have a winning record since my last couple seasons weren’t.”
Although he narrowly missed that mark, Griswold still considered the season a positive experience.
“While I didn’t meet that goal, I was still very close to it and played good tennis with my partner,” he said.
One area where Griswold believes he excelled was the mental aspect of tennis, especially in doubles competition where communication and composure are critical.
“I would say my biggest strength was being able to mentally reset at most points during a match,” Griswold said. “Anyone who knows tennis knows how much of the game is a mental battle.”
That mindset extended beyond his own play and into helping his doubles partner stay focused during matches.
“Being in doubles also means you have to not only keep yourself in check, but making sure your partner is playing at the top of their game as well,” he said. “This season I worked hard to make sure I could keep both myself and my partner in a good headspace so that we could remain at the top of our game.”
Throughout his career, Griswold recognized technique and fundamentals as areas he wanted to continue developing. Without extensive drilling opportunities during his high school career, he took improvement into his own hands.
“During my high school tennis career, I didn’t get a lot of technique training or drilling,” he said. “So the most important area of my game that I wanted to improve was the fundamentals and the more fine technique to how I played.”
To accomplish that, Griswold often spent extra time practicing outside of the team schedule.
“I would often meet with my teammates at local tennis courts before and during the season to get extra practice in and to work on my game,” he said.
Despite not advancing to state competition, Griswold still built a consistent varsity career at Campus, lettering every season and earning varsity recognition beginning his sophomore year. More importantly, he believes success is measured by effort and commitment rather than just results.
“A successful season for me and my team would mean playing to the absolute best of our ability each and every match, set, game and point,” Griswold said. “That doesn’t mean winning each of those, but as long as each player is truly playing at the top of their game, then in my eyes there isn’t anything more I could ask for.”
