Gators Return Home to Open 2017 Season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 12-1 home record, a 10-2 conference record, a .750 win percentage, and an SEC Tournament championship. The Gator men's tennis program had an impressive run in 2016 to say the least, and they'll have a chance to top that starting tomorrow.

Match Day

Florida (0-0) vs. Georgia Southern (1-1)
Florida (0-0) vs. Kennesaw State (0-0)
Double Header
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When: Saturday, Jan. 21^st | 10 a.m. / 3 p.m.
Where: Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
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After months of competing individually against each other and some of the best athletes in the nation, the No. 11 Florida Gators are ready to come together and play as a team once again.

The team graduated two seniors and took in four new freshman since last May, and they have taken on a whole new persona since that transition. The Gators have adopted a "point-by-point" mindset, aiming to focus on each point at a time instead of the match as a whole. This will prove especially important for the Gators as they open their 2017 season with a double header at home.

After an impressive run this fall, sophomore Alfredo Perez and freshman Johannes Ingildsen will go into this double header with a lot of momentum. The two are currently the No. 3 doubles team in the country, and Perez holds the highest singles ranking on the team at No. 13. Ingildsen boasted a 24-6 overall record this fall, while he and Perez earned an 8-1 doubles record and claimed the 2016 ITA Men's Southeast Regional Championship title.

Linder Stadium at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex has gone through a few renovations recently that will make fan experience more enjoyable. A new wind shield lines the complex, and six new scoreboards face the stands. There is a new composite scoreboard that can be seen from anywhere in the complex, that combines all six courts' scores and the overall team score.

Quoting Head Coach Bryan Shelton
Looking forward to Saturday and this season...
"Every season's exciting as you near it... I think everyone's really excited. Last year we finished really strong, but this is a completely new team. I think we all have expectations of going out there on Saturday and competing really hard."

"One of the things we want to do is really establish our identity early throughout the season as a team that competes really hard every time they go out there, that's well-prepared, that's prepared to make it a physical contest as well as a mental contest, and that's just going to be mentally tough out there throughout the match. I want us to establish that right off the bat on Saturday – this is our identity."

On Alfredo Perez becoming a leader on the team...
"I think that Alfredo has really established himself as one of the top collegiate players in the country in both singles and doubles. Along with that sometimes comes a target on your back, but I think if anyone is competitive enough or tough enough to handle that it's probably Alfredo. He doesn't really shy away from competition and he enjoys the battles – he's a fighter."

On Johannes Ingildsen stepping up as a freshman...
"The future looks bright for Johannes. It's always interesting how freshmen start their college campaign. He had a great fall with one of the best records on the team, he did extremely well. Dual season is always a little bit different when you're playing collectively out there together as a team. I know he's excited about the opportunity; the reason he came to the University of Florida was to go to this great school and get a great education but also develop his game, because he's one of those guys that wants to play at the next level as well."

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