Freshmen Salma Aboukhadra and Jordan Cheng have been playing tennis for many years and work hard to become better tennis players each day.

“[I went to a] Stanford tennis camp this summer and they taught me a lot about shots and other tricks,” Cheng said. “[I also do] private lessons outside of school, and they give me one-on-one help.”

Aboukhadra and Cheng are both singles players who have different strengths when playing on the court.

“[Playing singles is] easier for me than doubles because I like having control over how and where I hit the ball,” Aboukhadra said. “[I] like being on the court with just me and my opponent.”

Being a part of the tennis team means that the girls get to meet new people and make a lot of fun and great memories on the court with their teammates.

“[I] enjoy playing on varsity because I get to connect with a lot of new people that I wouldn’t have met and because it’s competitive,” Cheng said.

When playing, the girls work hard to overcome hardships and unexpected bad moments on the court.

“My worst moment on the court [was] when I rolled my ankle,” Aboukhadra said.

Cheng and Aboukhadra have many ways to build their confidence when competing, especially when they are losing a game.

“[When I am] down a couple of games, I’m still able to come back and win the whole thing [and that helps me build my confidence],¨Cheng said.