For Beardsley, the wins just keep on coming

COURTESY SPORTS PUBLICITY OFFICE Jonathan Beardsley, DC '99, has dominated opponents this year, compiling a 15-1 record.

On Sat., Apr. 17, after dropping the first set of his match against a rival from Columbia whom he had lost to only two months earlier, tennis player Jonathan Beardsley, DC '99, decided it was time to turn his intensity up a notch. He walked past his coach on the sideline and declared, "I'm going to beat this kid 6-0, 6-0," and then proceeded to blast his way past his opponent with a dazzling display of 120-mph serves and blistering groundstrokes. Although the final two sets went 6-1, 6-2 instead of 6-0, 6-0, Beardsley showed the form that Yale fans have come to expect from him this season. "He just cleaned the kid's clock," head coach Alex Dorato said. "It was typical of him because he has so much fight in him--he just hates to lose that much."

That kind of fierce determination has propelled Beardsley past opponents all season long. He has put together a record of 15-1, including victories over the No. 13 and No. 28 players in the nation, with his only loss coming early in the season in three sets to a player ranked No. 23. Since then, he has won nine straight matches and has been the team's anchor at the No. 1 singles position. "His season is unprecedented," captain Reid Lerner, BR '99, said. "He's been unbelievable."

Beardsley has been so dominant this year that a victory from him is expected by his teammates--and by him. "He expects to win every match, regardless of who the team is playing or who he's playing, and that brings us a certain confidence that carries over to the rest of the team members," Scott Mayo, BR '99, said. "We basically start every match up 1-0, knowing that the No. 1 singles match is essentially a guaranteed victory."

Beardsley relies on ferocious serves and an attacking baseline game to overpower his foes. While his dominant forehand is the most fearsome weapon in his arsenal, his patience on the court and his ability to hit his biggest shots at crucial moments are the keys to his success this season, according to Dorato. "I like to play pretty aggressively," Beardsley said. "I try to attack with my forehand and look for opportunities to put the ball away."

"He basically just blows people off the court," Lerner said. "He's pretty fun to watch. He has a huge serve, a great forehand and he's very athletic and quick." Beards-ley's dominance this season is the result of an amazing work ethic that at times leaves his teammates and coaches in disbelief. One of his favorite workouts is running the stairs of Payne-Whitney Gymnasium, often traversing more than 100 flights before stopping. "His work ethic is incredible," teammate Gabe Goldstein, DC '02, said. "On the court, he's always so intense--he never wants to waste a minute of practice. Off the court, he's always doing the extra stuff: weights, conditioning drills."

Although Beardsley is not a vocal leader, his intensity sets an example for his younger teammates. "We see how hard he fights every time he goes out on the court, and it brings a whole level of leadership for the team to follow," Steve Berke, MC '02, said. "The way he competes--I've never seen anyone like that in my life. It's something for the rest of us to model ourselves after." Goldstein added, "He sets a great example for all the players, but especially for the freshmen. He more than anyone has shown me how hard I need to work to compete on this level."

"That's definitely one of the things that's important to me," Beardsley said. "Having a strong work ethic has always been key to my tennis, and I've always hoped that whether or not I'm a vocal leader, just doing the things I do, it rubs off on people and gets them to work a little bit harder. If it's possible that the younger guys look up and see me working hard and want to work harder, then that makes me feel really good."

Beardsley plans to play satellite tournaments after the season, with the goal of rising in the rankings and playing on the professional tour. "My goal is to go out there and try to make it," he said. "I'm not going to put any undue pressure on myself, but I'd like to give myself a chance and see how it goes."

On Sun., Apr. 25, Beardsley will play his final match on what promises to be an exciting day. The team faces archrival Harvard, and Beardsley will face the country's No. 1 player, James Blake '01. "It should be a good match," Beardsley said. "We've had some ups and downs the whole year, but I think if everybody comes out focused, and we believe in ourselves, then it's just a matter of doing it."

As anyone who saw his match against Columbia knows, when Beardsley decides to take his game into overdrive, nothing is out of his reach.

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