As Stanford men’s tennis begins the NCAA tournament this weekend at home, a key to their success will have to be freshman Alex Razeghi, who has been successful in both the singles and doubles. All season long, Razeghi has been a Swiss Army knife, doing whatever head coach Paul Goldstein has needed from him.
“Yeah, you know, it was kind tough kind of setting in in the beginning. We have a lot of really good players. So I just tried to fit in as best I can, you know, just doing what I do best,” Razeghi said. “Making guys annoyed by my game style and just, you know, making it as tough as I can for them. And, the doubles side of it, I take pride in my doubles. I feel like I’m one of the better doubles players in college, so I try to take pride in that. And, yeah, just that’s what it is, I think.”
A big aspect of Razeghi’s game is his movement. He takes great pride in that and has worked hard to become one of the best movers in the country. Making first serves is another area that he has been honing in on. “Yeah, so I think my movement. I take a good amount of pride in that and just making first serves,” Razeghi said of his biggest strengths. “And I feel like energy is really big in doubles and I try to emphasize that with everyone that I play with. So I feel like it’s really important, especially you know, it’s only a six-game set in doubles. So you got to start off, you know, really energetic.”
“Just a rock. He’s just a rock,” Goldstein said of Razeghi. “I’m telling you. Federer once said to me, the ten best players in the world are the ten best movers in the world and Alex is one of the best movers in the country. So he gives himself a chance every single match because of how good of a mover he is and how good of a competitor he is.”
One of the greatest movers of all-time is Rafael Nadal. Given that fact, it’s no surprise Razeghi has spent a lot of time studying his game. His dad even when so far as to make sure he played left-handed just like Nadal.
“My dad is the biggest Rafael Nadal fan ever. I’m naturally right-handed, but he put it in my left hand because of Nadal,” Razeghi explained. “So I try to take some parts out of his game, obviously being lefty. You know, try to emulate the forehand a little bit like him in the serve as much as I can and then you know, just kind of smaller, smaller lefty guys. Can’t really think off the top of my head, but you know, guys that kind of just grinding. You know, are little rats out there. So that’s kinda what I try to do.”
As a result of his stellar movement, Razeghi can be effective in both the singles and doubles. The doubles side is something he takes a ton of pride in, understanding the importance of winning the doubles point.
“The doubles side of it, I take pride in my doubles,” Razeghi said. “I feel like I’m one of the better doubles players in college, so I try to take pride in that and yeah, that’s what it is I think.”
As a freshman on The Farm, Razeghi has had a positive experience so far. He’s loved the relationships he has built and the opportunity to pursue academic excellence.
“Yeah, it’s been great. I’ve been meeting a lot of friends and obviously the athletic side is, it’s the best it can be, really all the way around,” Razeghi of what he’s most liked about Stanford. “So, it’s really nice to meet people that are the best in their respective fields and obviously the academic side speaks for itself. So it’s a very good combination of both academics and athletics. And I’m so happy I chose here.”
Playing college tennis is unique due to the team aspect of it. Tennis is an individual sport in the professional ranks aside from a few team events like Davis Cup. Razeghi has loved being part of a team and the fun that comes with having teammates supporting you.
“Honestly, I underestimated it. I didn’t know really what the college team aspect was going to be like, but this is one of the best times of my life,” Razeghi said. “You know, the best four years of my life playing with these guys behind me, you’re never going to get this. Tennis is a single sport, you know, there’s not really teams in the pro side of it, so just cherish these moments that you have with your brothers. That’s what I’ve taken out of it.”
One thing that makes playing team tennis especially fun at Stanford is the new facility they are building. With the indoor facility already completed and in use, that’s created for some amazing atmospheres.
“It’s electric. I mean, you see the stands on the left, right, and middle side. It might not be a lot, but when it’s packed it’s very very loud,” Razeghi said of the new indoor facility. “So it’s very very energetic and loud in here and you know, it’s obviously a fantastic facility. I mean, other teams are taking pictures of it as they’re coming up. So, I’m pretty sure the teams like it as well.”
As the NCAA tournament begins this week against New Mexico on Friday, Razeghi is hoping that they can take advantage of their home court advantage and make a deep run. The main message from head coach Paul Goldstein has been to stay the course and focus on what is within their control. Razeghi is confident that if they do that, they’ll be successful.
“We’re just trying to ride the wave right now,” Razeghi said. “There’s a lot of very good teams in the ACC and I think we can compete with one of them. So just trying to stay in our lane and just focus on what we can control. That’s kind of been his motto.”
All in all, Alex Razeghi has had a terrific freshman season at Stanford. He’s brought great stability with his singles and doubles. I look forward to seeing how he performs in the NCAA tournament and how deep the team goes.
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