‘The Lemur,’ ‘Rajibbles’ and ‘Zooboomafoo’ are not just pet names, but nicknames teammates have given sophomore Rajeev Herekar, who is currently ranked 13 in North California in the “16 and under” tennis division.

Herekar played tennis for the first time at the age of six when his parents took him to the courts to hit. Until he was ten years old, tennis held no special interest to him and was just another sport.

“I started to enjoy the sport even more when it became fun to move the ball around with control and hit it harder,” Herekar said. “Once I became better, I got the opportunity to work with different strokes and experiment which one works the best for me.”

Now, Herekar practices two hours a day, six days a week. During practice, Herekar concentrates on perfecting certain strokes by hitting balls over and over again. This includes volleys, serves, lobs, cross-courts and overhead smashes, to name a few. After these drills, he plays practice games with point scoring to keep in shape for upcoming tournaments and competitions.

Herekar has been playing for the varsity boys’ tennis team since his freshman year, when he landed the number two singles spot. This year, he advanced to take on the number one singles spot.

“I remember the first day of tennis tryouts during his freshman year,” boys’ varsity tennis coach Jim Gorman said. “Even though he played in tournaments, he continued to rally steadily with the beginners at the end courts until the second day, when I noticed him. He belonged on the top courts right from the start, no doubt about it.”

Herekar has played his part in contributing to the team’s success this season. On Mar. 2, Herekar assisted the team to a first place win in the California Boys High School Tennis Championships held in Fresno.

“[Herekar] had a huge win that weekend,” Gorman said. “He knew that all the pressure was on him to carry [the team] on to the finals, but he kept a steady head and kept hitting the right shots.”

In the semi-finals, Herekar played against, according to him, an opponent who could have easily beaten him. This win helped advance Gunn to the finals, where they defeated Palo Alto High School to clinch the title.

“[Herekar] is amazing, both as a friend and a tennis player” teammate sophomore Bharat Reddy said. “He’s mellow and quiet as a person, but when he gets on the court, he’s the complete opposite.”

Herekar said he separates his life into three main categories: school, tennis and relaxation. Over the years, tennis has climbed up on his ladder of priorities and is now a major part of his life.

Gorman has high hopes for Herekar’s two remaining years at Gunn. “I definitely would like to see him step up to the captain position next year,” he said “[Herekar] is an up and coming player. He’s got the player’s attitude that all the top professionals have and it’s really nice to work around that.”