Cherwell spoke to the new Blues captains of OULTC. Here’s the full interview with Jack Pickering, captain of the men’s team, and Sama Malik, captain of the women’s team.
When did you start playing tennis?
J: I started playing when I was eleven, which is quite late as most of my team started playing before they were six.
S: I started playing at my local tennis club when I was five.
What drew you to the sport?
J: I managed to get tickets for the Wimbledon women’s final in 2013 and the day after that, Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title and I’ve never stopped enjoying the sport since that summer.
S: It was a great way to socialise and make new friends. I found tennis fun to play so wanted to keep doing it! I also have a twin sister so we grew up playing together and I always had a partner to hit with.
Were there any specific goals for this season and how has the season gone so far?
J: The main goal for the tennis season each year is to win the varsity match against Cambridge which takes place at the end of Trinity term. We also play BUCS most Wednesdays and we’re aiming to finish in the top half of the league. It’s currently very close in the middle of the table of our division with a few important matches to come.
S: This season a key focus has been to have high levels of commitment from team members in training, matches and to also spend more time as a team off the court, with socials and team dinners. The season so far has had lots of close matches with three close draws, one loss and one win in the BUCS league. With a few matches left to play, the league’s standings are still undecided and all to play for as a lot of the teams are equally matched.
What has been the best win of the season currently?
J: Beating University of Nottingham at Iffley 4-2. We went 2-0 down after two disappointing doubles matches but then won four close singles matches (including four tiebreaks) to win the fixture.
S: The best win of the season currently was our win against Exeter in our away game. The team battled through some matches despite Exeter having a lot of home support to get a 4-2 win.
What has been the biggest sporting success in your time at Oxford so far?
J: Winning the European Universities Clay Court Invitational tournament at the Monte Carlo Country Club earlier this year was big success for the men’s and women’s Blues after reaching the semi finals in 2021 and the final in 2022.
S: In terms of sports successes, the commitment, energy and mindset of the team in all aspects on and off the court has been great to be a part of.
How did varsity go last year?
J: The 2023 Lawn Tennis Men’s Varsity was a very close match last Trinity term, with the Oxford team unfortunately losing 11-10 after two long days of matches. A special mention has to go to Brendan Emmanuel who won all five of his matches for us.
S: Varsity last year was definitely one of the highlights of the year – dominating the weekend and getting the win over Cambridge. Although it was sad to see a significant number of teammates graduating and leaving the team, this year I’m excited to take on the challenge of retaining our win with some new faces in the team.
How difficult is it to have a high turnover of players, losing and gaining players each year?
J: Obviously the nature of a university team is to have players coming and going over the years, but I think you have to focus on the players you have in front of you and try and help them to play the best tennis they can.
S: It’s definitely tough losing players, especially last year when half of the team (including last year’s captain Izzy Marshall) graduated. Having said that, I think it’s also exciting to have new players in the team, getting to know them and developing new team dynamics.
What’s the best and worst thing about being Blues captain?
J: The best thing is probably getting asked to write some answers for Captain’s Corner. The worst thing is coming up with ideas for tennis drills for sessions where we don’t have a coach.
S: It’s hard to pick one thing that stands out, but one of the best things about being Blues captain is that it’s rewarding to see the progress we’ve made as a team and having an active role leading hitting sessions and creating an energetic, friendly and supportive team environment.
Who are the ones to watch in the team?
J: If you know Italian then Lorenzo Catini is always a good one to watch because I presume you would be able to understand what he is screaming when he wins or loses the point. In fact, if you were in Oxford on the October 25th you would probably have heard him scream “Forza!” from the Iffley courts when he won his singles match against Nottingham.
S: I don’t think there’s any one person to watch in the team as I think each member has different strengths and skills, meaning a lot of players are evenly matched down our rankings. Sneha Kotecha is new to the team this year and having played number one at Exeter during her undergrad, has a lot of experience of playing at uni and as a highly competitive junior.
