Get to know Weston tennis player Max Ding
WESTON, Wis. — Weston High School (WHS) Boys Varsity tennis has won six straight State Championships, and Max Ding (17) has been part of the reason why. With a powerful forehand and serve, Max dominates his opponents at singles, controlling the points from the start. He also has demonstrated his net skills this year, often coming to net and finishing the point. In addition, he loves to encourage his teammates to try their best, rooting them on and being a team player.
Having played tennis for over 11 years and winning many USTA tournaments, Max has the chops to take his playing to college if he so desires. For his three years on the WHS Boys Varsity team, he has been a DCL All-Star; and, this year, he was named a DCL All-Conference.
Max will certainly be a huge contributor to the WHS team in his senior year, looking to help secure the team’s 7th straight State Championship.
Congrats, Max!
Interview with Max:
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Max Ding: I want to win a bigger tournament within New England, such as an L4 USTA tournament, and beat all the teams in the state, even the top ones.
What do you love about your sport?
Ding: What I love most about the sport is that the outcome of your own match is up to you. Although you have teammates on the school team, it is really you alone out there when playing singles, and you have to really be mentally strong, especially when you may be having a hard match.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Ding: The biggest challenge in tennis is when you are having a close match that has gone on for a long time, like 3 hours or more, and having to put in the work at the very end. It is very easy to be lazy at that point and not do your best tennis. However, I tell myself that I can finish strong, knowing that, if I don’t put the effort in all the way to the end, how disappointed I will be after the match.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Ding: You only have to win the last point in tennis. This reminds me to never give up.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Ding: I have definitely tried too hard to stick with one strategy throughout a match, even if it wasn’t a winning one. Now, I make sure to look at the bigger picture and what is actually happening during the match to come up with new strategies based on my opponent’s game.
Do you have something you do pre-match to prepare?
Ding: I do a dynamic warmup before every practice and match. It definitely gets me to loosen up and helps prevent injury.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Ding: I enjoy playing bass, playing video games with friends, and eating different kinds of foods.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Ding: It has taught me that, even in a sport like tennis, not everything is related to you, and you have to cheer on your teammates and give them confidence to win. Sometimes you won’t win and it hurts, but your team has your back and it is very fun to be together.
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