Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Considering what the Gators men's tennis team did on Sunday afternoon against Tennessee, potential angles for this column glowed like the bright sun over Linder Stadium.

The 10th-ranked Gators knocked off the No. 3 Vols 5-2 on a dazzling afternoon to be outside at a sporting event. Perhaps both teams could have done without the consistent breeze that swept across the courts, but that was a minor factor on this postcard-perfect early March day.

For the Gators, they registered back-to-back Southeastern Conference wins in less than 48 hours after sweeping Georgia on Friday night. They did it in convincing fashion, bolstering their outlook that after reaching the Final Four in 2019, another deep run in the NCAA Tournament might be in store for a team that blends youth and experience.

The action was postseason intense Sunday.

In doubles competition, both teams oozed testosterone as they tried to gain an early advantage. The doubles point came down to the No. 3 matchup between Florida's duo of Ben Shelton and Andy Andrade versus Tennessee's Giles Hussey-Mark Wallner combo. With their teammates and coaches watching on the adjacent court, the match went to a tiebreaker. On the deciding point, Shelton slammed a Vols' return shot to finish off a 7-6 (7-2) win.

"It was a big moment," said Shelton, a freshman whose father happens to be Florida's coach. "The doubles point is always fun. Everyone wants it bad. You have a teammate on the court with you who's hyping you up and you're hyping him up."

Shelton wasn't finished and neither was Gators sophomore Blaise Bicknell, who took care of Hussey in straight sets (6-3, 6-2) at No. 4 singles. Bicknell's win put the Gators up 3-0 and ran his record to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in dual matches.

Bicknell is the type of player most teams don't have an answer for that far down the lineup. His coaches and teammates say he puts spin on shots that they have never seen anyone else do.

When it's time to hit the court, he is on a mission.

"Naturally, people don't love playing me because they know they are going to have to run,'' he said. "I've just got to keep everything going. I'm doing my best every day for the team. It's certainly nice when I'm winning and the team is winning. It's good to kickstart the win. I always try to win and get off the court as quickly as I can."
 
With the doubles point in pocket, and singles victories by Bicknell and senior Josh Goodger (No. 6), the Gators were in a battle on the four remaining courts as they tried to put the Vols away. Back to Shelton, who took a roller-coast ride against Tennessee's Luca Wiedenmann at No. 5 singles.

Following his clinching shot in doubles, Shelton got bounced 6-0 in the first set against Wiedenmann. He took a seat between sets and volunteer assistant coach Scott Perelman swooped in to recharge Shelton's battery.

"I was just sitting on the bench trying to use it as fuel and also to forget some of it,'' Shelton said. "He was giving me energy so I started to give it right back. I like to be able to come out after that doubles match and use that emotion and have that little angry side of me that keeps pushing forward. With help from Coach P, my mentality was to get mad and basically just fight for my life."

Shelton responded with a 6-1 win in the second set and a 6-3 victory in the third. After Wiedenmann's return of a powerful Shelton forehand bounced into the net to clinch the match for the Gators, Shelton turned to the crowd and pumped a few exuberant Gator chomps. His sister was there to cheer him on, as were Michael Holloway II and Caleb Foster, members of Florida's track and field team. When Shelton stumbled early in singles, the trio moved down by his court to urge him to rebound.

"I was pumped up,'' he said.

Ben's dad, Gators head coach Bryan Shelton, has seen the story play out before.

"He saw it as an opportunity and he seized it,'' Bryan said. "He's a gamer. I've kind of known that about him for a long time watching him play football back in the day. He wants the ball. In those moments, he wants the ball. You just love that about athletes, that when the pressure is on and the moment gets big, the ones that are willing to play aggressively and go after it. We've got a number of them on our team and Ben happens to be one of them.

"In those key moments in the match, I think we really just believed in ourselves, believed in our games, believed in the plans. And we executed. As the match went on, I felt like we got better and better."

It was a good day for the Gators. They remained unbeaten in the SEC and established their place for now as the league's top team. Shelton, Bicknell, Goodger and Duarte Vale (No. 1 singles) each won their singles matches.

As the action unfolded on the courts below, more than once I took a moment to reflect on the simple pleasure of being outdoors on a beautiful day with fellow spectators in the stands. A recent COVID-19 scare certainly prompted some of the introspection. Sure, everyone wore face coverings and social distance measures were in place, but it felt a lot like normal.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020, the Gators were scheduled to host Georgia and Tennessee. Those matches and the rest of the season were canceled.

When Shelton entered the locker room to speak to his team after the victory, he sensed a bit of normalcy as well. The kind that could mean big things for the Gators later in the season.

"They seem pretty level-headed. They're excited for the win, it's certainly fun to do this as a team and as a program, to have success, but we know that we're going to have some losses too and you've got to be able to bounce back from those and be able keep things in perspective,'' he said. "We've got to be thankful. We've got to be thankful that we're playing this game.

"A year ago [at] this time, we were out, the season was cut short. This country, this world has gone through a lot and is still going through a lot. So, for us to be out here playing, and for me to still have a job and be working at the University of Florida, to be able to work with these great kids and coaches and support staff and administration, we've got so much to be thankful for. It's like, 'today is great, tomorrow could be a tough day.' You just never know. You've just got to have the mentality, 'hey, I just want to be the best version of myself every single day.' I think our team has really bought into that."

It sure looked that way Sunday afternoon.