From late night practice sessions to a leading singles record, Eric Tripathi has become a stand-out player on the Coastal men’s tennis team.
Tripathi currently leads the team alongside Curzio Manucci, both with 8-2 singles records.
Tripathi explained how the successful stats of his senior season are the result of hard work behind the scenes. Balancing life as a collegiate student-athlete, he said he devotes a lot of time to intensive individual tennis exercises in addition to scheduled team practices.
According to his coach and teammates, Tripathi doesn’t take a single opportunity for granted both on and off the court.
“He’s the guy that’s going to be serving under the lights at 8 o’clock at night when nobody’s watching. I think that’s what really sets him apart,” Head Men’s Tennis Coach Chris Powers said. “He does a lot of extra work. He doesn’t do it for attention. He does it because he knows that it’s going to help him personally, and of course that’ll help the team.”
Powers also said he values the passion and positivity that Eric brings onto the court.
“He’s the first guy that’s going to show enthusiasm and energy on the court, which is infectious,” Powers said. “And he’s one of the first guys that’s always out there, you know, spreading good energy that spreads along all the other courts.”
In his high school career, Tripathi had a career high ranking of No.195 in Australia. He also was a five-time Newington College first team selection, won a championship at Newington and was the institution’s youngest first team selection.
Newington College is a primary, secondary, and boarding school with multiple locations in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Before transferring to Coastal as a sophomore, Tripathi completed his first year at Eastern Florida State College, which is a Junior College (JUCO). JUCOs are two year athletic and academic opportunity schools that serve as a steppingstone for athletes desiring NCAA competition level. They allow for player development and increased recruiting exposure.
It was there that a friendship formed between Tripathi and his current doubles partner, Jack Dixon, who is also an Australian native.
Dixon said he learned about Coastal’s tennis program through Tripathi, who had already been at CCU for a semester and playing tennis, and decided to transfer as well.
As a fellow collegiate student-athlete, Dixon recognized Tripathi’s work ethic and dedication to the sport.
“What I think shows him as a person is that he does the most out of anyone on the team workwise and training, off and on the court,” Dixon said. “He trains so much, goes to the gym, does extra outside and then on top of that he’s working in the gym and doing tutoring.”
In addition to putting in the work to grow as an individual, Tripathi said he likes to use as much energy and movement that he can on the court.
“I like to make it a dog fight, like to have some fun and definitely like to rally,” Tripathi said. “I like to put on a show and have a bit of fun.”
For Tripathi, the record of his senior season is a direct result of his endless training and focus on a high standard of play for the Chanticleers.
