There’s never a dull moment with the Princeton Day School tennis teams

PRINCETON, N.J. — Princeton Day School Head Tennis Coach Michael Augsberger routinely works with his teams on shot selection and point construction, but he also focuses heavily on decision making and mental strength, the latter of which are soft skills that can help athletes on any playing field.

“I hope my players learn to think critically when they’re under pressure and become the most mentally strong players that they can be. If they constantly are trying to come up with solutions instead of resigning themselves to their fate in a tough match, I am happy,” Augsberger says.

“At big moments it’s easy to say, ‘Oh that was a turning point, now it’s over for me. But there are no narratives but the ones we create.”

In his second season at PDS, Augsberger has seen his athletes take on that ethos. Junior Neha Khandkar, the school’s first singles player, reached the state’s Round of 16 last fall. At another major tournament, the Prep B tournament, after a rain delay at a neutral site, she had to travel alone to The Pennington School to finish the match the next day.

“She lost under those tough conditions, and from our team only I could come to support her, but she carried herself with great grace,” Augsberger said.

Augsberger has also had the opportunity to celebrate his athletes: PDS won the girls’ sectional championship for the school’s first in history, making it to the state group final before losing. The boys’ team won two doubles Prep B titles last year. Before joining the PDS community, Augsberger coached for three years at Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware. He coached the team to the school’s first first-singles state championship in history, and came in third place in the state as a team twice.

Augsberger knows that each season is a fresh start and an opportunity to build on the skills they’ve developed. Many of Princeton Day School’s tennis players come into the season with a foundation of skills and great coaching, he says.

“As a coach, it’s easy to have perspective, but players only get so many opportunities and then they have to move on from their high school games. They have fewer chances than I do. I try to give them a taste of that perspective and remind them what matters is how they respond to this pain. And to be grateful to have such rivals to push us and make our games meaningful,” he said.

For many of Augsberger’s players, the message is coming through. Junior Joshua Chu said that his favorite moments with the team come in the moments off the court, when they’re having fun together at practice, eating food after a match, or watching other teams play.

“One of the most important things I learned through my tennis experience at Princeton Day School is that if you can have fun during practice and matches, your tennis experience will be more enjoyable. However you obviously have to be serious at most parts during a match. Bonding and getting to know your teammates and making greater relationships is just as important as winning a championship. These relationships could last forever,” Chu says. “There’s never a dull moment during my tennis experience at Princeton Day School.”

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