For senior Danica Glazier, tennis is a game that counts on strategy, competitiveness, and having a mindset that can turn a two to six loss in the first set into a comeback win.

Glazier recalled a close match versus Lakeridge High School with her doubles partner senior Suzy Valdivia, in which she overcame a big challenge, turning around a possible loss.

“We had to really keep a positive mindset, really competitive,” she said. “We were just going to fight hard and just keep going for the second set.”

Mental toughness is an essential aspect of playing tennis, Glazier said.

“You could be a great tennis player, but if you’re in a bad mood, you could play horrible the whole day,” she said. “You really have to just be in the right head space to play the best tennis.”

Before her freshman year, Glazier had never competitively played tennis, but with help from her father, a former collegiate tennis player, she fell in love with the sport.

“He just inspired me to play tennis, like he would go out and hit with me,” she said.

Now, in her final year of high school, she views tennis as more of a strategic sport.

“You constantly have to adjust the way that you’re playing depending on what opponents you’re playing,” she said. “So it’s really a lot of a mind game, almost like chess in that way,” she said.

Glazier’s mindset has helped her navigate through challenges like balancing games, practices, AP classes, and a job tutoring at Mathnasium. She also said that her coach, Mr. David Lane, has helped support her through these challenges

“He has great advice,” she said. “I think he’s just really there for us, no matter what we need, and he’s just a great guy.”

But among her peers, her teammate senior Isabella Montecucco is the one who taught her the most, she said.

“We would play tennis a lot outside of school at the Clackamas River Racquet Club,” she said. “She’s a lot better than me, but she would still play with me.”

Tennis has also made Glazier a better communicator and peer.

“It’s made me better at communication and teamwork, because if you’re playing doubles, you really have to communicate well with your doubles partner,” she said. “You’ve always got to cheer on your teammates. Sometimes that can really encourage them.”

Apart from tennis, she tried cross country and track while she was an underclassman, but found tennis most fun due to strategy.

“Other sports I’ve played in the past, like cross country or track or rowing, didn’t really take a lot of strategizing,” she said.

One of her motivations is competitiveness, as “it’s fun to win,” she said. She wants to improve her tennis skills, while focusing on working towards her future academically.

After high school, she hopes to continue playing tennis because it empowers her.

“I don’t want to stop playing tennis entirely,” she said. “I would definitely like to pick it up as a hobby in college.”

Being a senior this year, she has enjoyed taking a bigger leadership role with the team.

“I always looked up to the seniors on the team when I was an underclassman,” she said. “So it’s nice being an upperclassman and getting to show the underclassmen how to hit the ball.”