M. Tennis Begins Anew Today at Yale

Tabula rasa.

When the Harvard men's tennis team step on the courts at the season-opening Yale Invitational today, it will mark the writing of a new slate in Crimson tennis history.

After losing five of six varsity players from last year's 17-7 squad, a team many consider to be the best in Harvard tennis history, the Crimson is in a stage of rebirth.

"This is pretty much a completely new team," Coach David Fish said. "We graduated so many players from last year, that we're essentially starting over again. There's really no telling what we'll do."

Harvard should get a pretty good idea of where it stands and where it needs to go this weekend at Yale. Eight Crimson players will make the trip, but no line-up is set as of yet.

The meet will feature virtually all of the Ivy League schools, including Dartmouth and Yale, the teams most likely to battle it out with the Crimson for the Ancient Eight throne.

"It's definitely going to be a good starter," Fish said. "A lot of solid teams will be there to give us a run for the money."

Fish cited Dartmouth as the meet favorite.

"With us losing so many people, Dartmouth will be looking to step out of the shadow and assume the role of league favorite," he said. "They're supposed to be real solid, and they'll be ready to go this weekend. I think they'll be the team to beat."

Fish said Harvard has the best chance of knocking off the Big Green.

"I think it will be between us and them, "he said. "Despite losing everybody, we've got a good team. We certainly have the chance to win league again."

If there's any reason for Fish's optimism, it's a change in the attitude of his players. Out is the confident Ivy-Leage-Championship-as-an-afterthought swagger of last season and in is a gritty determination to scratch and claw for every little inch of ground available. It's a change born not out of convenience so much as necessity.

"These kinds really have a desire to work hard," Fish said. "They're very enthusiastic and they're prepared to fight for everything."

Captain Pete Stovell perhaps summarized the change best: "Last year, we had so much talent that we knew we could play half-ass most of the time and win. This year we know we have to work our butts off for everything."

The Crimson should certainly get the chance to do that this weekend. Instead of putting the eight players making the trip to Yale into the A, B, C and D brackets as usual (A being for the top-rated players), Fish is putting all his players in the A, B and C brackets.

"It's sort of a trial-by-fire game-plan," Fish said. "We want our guys playing the best people possible. That's how we'll get better."

Fish sees this weekend's invitational as the first rung on a season-long ladder.

"This is the first meet of a season which will progressively get more difficult," he said. "Each meet will be a little more difficult and a little more important."

Fish sees his team's proficiency following a similarly linear path. "I think right now what we need more than anything else is exposure and seasoning," he said. "As the year goes along and we continue to work harder, we're going to get a lot better. Everyone expects us to be a doormat. We won't be a doormat."