By Staff Writer Jennifer Fortman

Junior Rohit Rastogi is a veteran player on the boys tennis team. This season marks his second at the varsity level, and he couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming season.

Q: What is the best thing about your sport?

A: Well, the thing about tennis that is really interesting is that it’s a team sport, but it’s also an individual sport. The way it works is that you have individual matches, and you count up the total tally at the end. It’s really cool to have the experience of playing on a team because you don’t really have that with a club. That’s the best part of playing at North.

Q: What is the worst thing about your sport?

A: The worst part is definitely the mental game and the mental aspect because there is a tremendous amount of pressure put on a tennis player, especially when serving 40-30 or if you’re down in a game. You have to maintain focus and keep a positive attitude. The weather has been bad, and that has contributed to it as well.

Q: How far do you want to go with tennis?

A: I’ve been thinking about playing in college, and [I’m] looking at some Division 3 schools. But I haven’t decided yet.

Q: What would you say is the biggest contribution you make to your team?

A: I am a junior so I guess I have been around for awhile, and I was on varsity last year. I instill a work ethic. I always try to work hard, and [I] always try to play hard during matches and not give up. I try to be someone the freshmen can look up to.

Q: How have you evolved as an athlete throughout the years?

A: My freshman year, I had a really bad mental game. I would yell in frustration, throw rackets, and I wasn’t really the greatest sport on the court. I think last year and this year I have definitely improved on that. I have had better composure, and I think that has been making a big difference in a lot of tight matches.