Considered one of the grand slams of college tennis, the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tournament kicks off tomorrow in Tulsa, Okla., and UA men’s tennis head coach Tad Berkowitz
hopes to make a statement.

Seniors Claudio Christen and Bruno Alcala, junior Peter Zimmer and freshman Jay Goldman will represent the Wildcats in their quest to stack up against some of the top players in the country. Although Berkowitz trains players to peak for the start of January’s team play, he said he hopes this tournament allows Arizona the opportunity to showcase its ability.

“”Usually, the fall is about getting guys ready to go,”” Berkowitz said. “”But I think it’s important for us to make a little bit of a statement for the country.””

Berkowitz aims to establish a presence by having the Wildcats play intense, work hard and showcase a good attitude. For the past week, Arizona trained by playing practice matches in which the squad encountered different scenarios and finetuned its strategy, contrary to previous weeks of emphasizing technique and conditioning.

This weekend marks Arizona’s third tournament of the fall season. Goldman competed in the Costa Mesa Futures Tournament on Sept. 18, while redshirt senior Nathan Cochrane, sophomore Ravid Hazi and freshman David Humphreys enjoyed a successful weekend at the Aggie Invitational on Sept. 15.

Hazi’s success – reaching the singles tournament final – raises the team’s confidence, Berkowitz said.

“”Ravid coming within points of that tournament was a nice little
boost for the team,”” he said. “”The guys are confident in each other because they see on the court next to them the other guy is working hard. We obviously still have to prove a lot through tournaments.””

Berkowitz added that the team is slowly settling in, coming together and becoming comfortable on the courts. As the weather cools off, Arizona has become more acclimated and grounded, he said.

Goldman knows the All-American brings out the best competition in the nation, and prepares for such by getting comfortable with a rhythm on strokes.

“”It’s a good way to break the ice,”” Goldman said. “”I think we can really be solid this year and do some damage against some of the teams that aren’t the highest-ranked.””