Written by Trey Meier, Staff Writer
“It was really exciting. I remember the play leading up to the last point that qualified me for state. My heart was racing, and it was pressuring, but I remember after think- ing like ‘you actually made it’. It was definitely an eye- opening experience.”
This is what was going through the mind of Indian Trail High School & Academy freshman Lainy Ristau after qualifying for the state tennis tournament in October. Ristau, who started playing tennis at the age of 4, finished the season with an impressive 27-6 record, but the accolades don’t stop there. Along with a winning record, the freshman also went on to win two games at the state tournament at Nielsen Stadium in Madison.
Ristaus’ first match at state was against senior Ella Diedrich from Homestead. After a shaky first game, Ristau settled her nerves, and dispatched her opponent fairly easily, coming out victorious in two straight sets.
“I was so nervous my first match. My coach told me to go on the side where you can see all the fans watching, so I did that and it was easier from there,” Ristau said. “But I remember losing my first game, and I told myself, ‘you can’t lose your first match at state,’ so then I got it together after that.”
After winning her first match, she faced Miah Bohlen, another senior, from Nicolet. The young Hawk star won in convincing fashion, only losing two sets the entire match.
“In my second match there was more pressure after winning the first game, and because I knew if I won I was going to go up against a high-seeded player. But I had fun that match because she played to my strengths so I could hit easier,” Ristau said.
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be one of the top players in the state, and that hard work and dedication was on full display this season. Between U.S. Tennis Association tournaments, clubs, and summer programs, Ristaus’ impressive year was well earned and well deserved. She also stated how important her mindset has to be in order to be the best she can.
“I also feel like you have to have the right mindset because tennis is a really mental sport, and you kind of just have to tell your- self that you’re going to do good, and if you tell yourself otherwise than you won’t play as well as you want to,” she said.
Ristau, who fell in love with tennis at a young age thanks to her nana, had big aspirations for the season.
“My goal for the season was definitely to make it to state. I knew about the competition in my conference and also outside my conference,” she said. “I was really nervous after my first high school invitational. After that I got a feel for what type of players there would be in high school and I kind of just told myself that I’m going to get there, that I’m going to go to state.”
Ristau ended up falling to the third seed in the state, sophomore Zaya Iderzul, who was the eventual state runner-up.
“Playing the three seed was definitely stressful. I’ve played her before when I was younger and she always beat me. She’s really good,” Ristau said. “I definitely competed against her. The scores weren’t as close as they could have been, but it was good competition.”
This year was only the beginning for the freshman phenom, and there is a lot of excitement and anticipation on what’s in store for the future.