Growing up Solna, Sweden, Arizona Wildcats junior Jonas Ziverts became accustomed to a culture of self-reliance in tennis.
“You are very much on your own with everything,” Ziverts said in the lead-up to Arizona’s trip to Orlando, Florida, to face Tennessee on Monday in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
At times, being in control of personal achievements was a rewarding feeling for Ziverts, the highest-rated recruit to join Arizona under coach Clancy Shields.
But when Ziverts clinched the match-winning set against No. 17 Kentucky last week in the second round, the celebration was an eye-opening experience that helped him fully appreciate the magnitude of being a part of a team.
A video posted by the Arizona men’s tennis Twitter account circulated shortly after the Cats beat UK to advance to the third round for the first time in school history. The entire team sprinted onto the court in jubilation as soon as Ziverts clinched the victory and jumped into the arms of the Swede.
“It was just an awesome moment,” Zivert said. “When everyone is just running to you after a win, I don’t even know how to describe it.”
His coach watched Ziverts’ match from the sidelines against UK’s Gabriel Diallo, the No. 14-ranked singles player in the country, knowing it would take Ziverts’ best effort.
Ziverts lost the first set 6-7 as early nerves got the better of him. But the junior shook off the jitters and won the next two sets 6-1 and 6-4.
“That dude is as tough as nails, man,” Shields said. “You can’t even coach stuff like that.”
The victory set up a date with SEC Champion Tennessee at 7 a.m. Tucson time on Monday with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. The Volunteers enter as the No. 3 national seed and the top overall seed in UA’s 16-team region.
Throughout the regular season — in which the No. 18-ranked Wildcats (21-7) have already broken the mark for most wins in a season (18) — and now during the postseason run, Shields has reminded his team of one simple fact.
“This is it.”
It’s not a mantra or silly catch phrase. It is, Shields said, a reminder to appreciate and have gratitude for the journey the Wildcats are on.
“Before we left for Kentucky, I told the guys this could be our final game,” he said. “And they were almost doing a sort of goodbye to each other. Not that they didn’t think they could win, but that they didn’t want it to end.”
Two wins later (Michigan, Kentucky) and the season is still going despite it being during the most hectic weeks of the school year. Final exams and graduations mean a juggling act when players are competing in some of the biggest matches of their careers.
As the Wildcats went through their final tune-ups in Tucson last week, the team kept things loose and opened practice with a friendly game of “Soccer Tennis”. It’s played just like tennis, except a soccer ball is kicked over the net instead of using racquets.
Ziverts and Swedish teammate Filip Malbasic brought it over from Europe and it’s become a pre-practice tradition for the Cats.
“Filip and I used to play it all the time, so we started doing it here and it just caught on,” Ziverts said. “Everyone loves it, I think.”
Advancing in the tournament means a more challenging team awaits the Wildcats at their next stop. Fear of playing a stronger opponent hasn’t phased Arizona yet, though.
Shields said he noticed a “calm, steely’ demeanor from his team versus Kentucky and knew they weren’t going to lose.
“They had that look in their eyes against Kentucky that they were going to do something special,” Shields said. “We need that look again if we’re going to take down the SEC champs.”
