Tennis Coach Fish Looks Ahead to Season

Entering his 35th season as the Scott Mead ’77 Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Tennis, Dave Fish ’72 is an oracle of sorts when it comes to tennis. Lucky for us, he imparted some wisdom as the Crimson got off to a strong start at the Northeast Invitational in Flushing, N. Y.

Though tennis is a technically a spring sport, a fall schedule of six individual tournaments plays a large role in the team’s training.

“Individual tournaments are very interesting developmentally,” Fish said. “Unlike a dual match where you may play somebody in your position, in an individual tournament if you beat someone who’s close to your ability, then you get to play someone who’s probably a little better. If you get on a roll, by the end of the tournament, your confidence is at an entirely different level.”

This type of focused atmosphere ties in well with team goals, as the Crimson looks to dethrone reining Ivy League champion Columbia.

“Our goal has been to be in better shape this year,” Fish said. “I don’t think that any coach could ever argue with that as a condition for our team. And I think our team is committed to doing that work.”

Fish emphasizes the importance of learning from mistakes and the personal development that characterizes the fall, as he leads a young Crimson squad into a promising year.

“I’ve watched teams grow tremendously when players carry the right attitude toward their missteps,” Fish said. “It’s simply the nature of sports, of the chemistry of the game. You’re high one day and you’re down the next day… There’s a phrase ‘you either win or learn,’ and that’s what we try to do.”