As if studying for midterms wasn’t hard enough, adding preparations for a tennis match on top of it would wear anyone out.

That is what the No. 75 Arizona men’s tennis team (3-6, 0-2) is dealing with as it heads into today’s 1 p.m. matchup with Memphis (3-6) at Robson Tennis Center.

Although tennis remains a top priority for the Wildcats, academics have recently overshadowed the game.

“”It’s tough,”” said redshirt freshman Alex Labrosse. “”We need to take care of our business in class, and the only time (available to study) is at night.””

Most players on the team have all of their classes in the morning and then practice in the afternoon. Because of this, studying tends to go late into the night, which translates onto the courts the next day.

“”You can see it,”” said UA assistant coach Tom Lloyd. “”Guys are up studying until 3 a.m., they have to go through classes, and then all of the sudden it’s practice time. You can see it in the guys. They are a little off and just spent mentally.””

Lloyd, being a former player himself, knows the feeling and pressures of being a student-athlete during big test weeks. So he and head coach Tad Berkowitz have employed a special philosophy for this week.

They’ve shortened practice by about an hour.

“”We want quality over quantity as far as practice goes,”” Lloyd said. “”Just get in, do your business, get out.””

Another issue the players have to deal with on weeks like these is worrying whether professors will cut them some slack due to their high-intensity schedules.

“”A lot of professors have the utmost respect for student-athletes,”” Lloyd said. “”They have done it as students, so they can only imagine what being an athlete is like. It’s like a job.””

As a player, the most difficult part of these weeks is just getting through the week to match-time, when it is all done.

“”My mentality coming into Monday was just get me to Thursday and everything will be OK,”” Lloyd said. “”I’m sure a lot of the guys are feeling that way, so there will be a sigh of relief come (match time).””

Despite being tired, Arizona will need to be awake on the courts today. The Wildcats will have an opportunity to win back-to-back matches for the first time this season. Memphis has yet to defeat a ranked team, which should bode well for the Wildcats as well.

“”We just got a big ‘W’ last weekend, so we are confident,”” Labrosse said. “”Having midterms is always hard, but I’m sure the guys are excited for the match.””