Janecek rides out roller coaster college career

Janecek rides out roller coaster college career

Former tennis star endures agony of rocky senior year

By Sarah Harrison

The expression is familiar: after falling off of a horse, the
next thing you do is get right back up and ride again. While this
may sound easy, Robert Janecek of the UCLA men’s tennis team knows
it’s hard to do.

Janecek, the team’s senior captain, has been struggling all
season to get back on the saddle and regain his confidence, as his
consistently strong play has taken a dive this year.

As a freshman, he compiled a 21-8 overall record, playing
between the No. 5 and 3 spots. His sophomore year, he moved up to
the No. 2 position, finishing the season with an impressive 23-3
dual match record, All-American honors, and ranked 13th
nationally.

Last year, Janecek ended the season nationally ranked at No. 4
His overall record was 34-9, with 19-4 in dual matches in the No. 1
spot. In the NCAA tournament, he went 4-0 in the No. 1 spot for the
Bruins and made it to the second-round of the individual
competition.

This year was supposed to be more of the same as Janecek started
the season ranked No. 2 in the nation. However, his 20-19 record
shows that it has been anything but the success he had enjoyed
before.

"My sophomore and junior year I concentrated a lot more on
tennis and only a little bit on school," Janecek said. "This year,
I wanted to make sure that I graduate, so I didn’t play a lot in
August and September, and I took a lot of classes during the fall
and winter.

"When I got out on the courts, during the first couple of
matches, I didn’t play well. I think I may have put too much
pressure on myself, so that I lost that little edge that I had. I
haven’t really been able to find it this season."

Janecek also attributes his slump to a lack of confidence.

"I think it is just a confidence factor," Janecek said. "Instead
of knowing that I am going to hit the ball down the line, I am
thinking, ‘should I hit it cross court or lob it?’ My whole
thinking process right now is not as clear cut or automatic as it
used to be.

"I just need to have faith in myself, and know that wherever I
want to hit the ball I can. That is what I had last year and that
is the big difference."

Another difference could be the fact that Janecek is a
fourth-year player. Tennis is a sport where seniors are few and far
between, because most players go on the tour after their first few
years in college. Perhaps Janecek could have prevented this descent
by concentrating solely on tennis by going pro?

"That is a question that I will be asking myself for the rest of
my my life," Janecek said. "Whether or not I should have left, I am
happy that I stayed and finished my schooling and the year
here.

"I hadn’t planned on going to college at all. All of the friends
that I had been playing and travelling with were on the tour and I
saw them making money. Sometimes I would wonder if I had made the
right decision, but in the end I am glad that I decided to stay and
walk away from UCLA with a degree (in economics).

"Just because I had one bad year, I don’t think that it is going
to really affect me. Plus, the biggest part of the year is still to
come."

UCLA qualified for the NCAA Championships, so Janecek’s career
as a Bruin is not quite over. In addition, Janecek qualified, once
again, for the NCAA Singles Championship.

"This year, I am not even seeded," Janecek said. "I think there
will be a lot less pressure. This is my last year and I want to
win, so I will put pressure on myself. Hopefully I will be able to
keep the intensity up after the team competition."

While a slight wrist injury has prevented Janecek from
practicing this last week, he has been working on his fitness and
feels that this time off has allowed him to

regroup.

"We have to somehow get Robert positive, and get him a little
bit more relaxed," UCLA head coach Billy Martin said. "We have to
remind him that this is his finale for college tennis. We have to
hope that he is mature enough and has enough experience to realize
that all we have to do is win these four matches to become national
champions. What happened the whole year really doesn’t matter."

No matter what happens during the championships, Janecek is not
going to give up on his tennis career.

"I am planning to go on the tour for a year or two and work
really hard," Janecek said. "Depending on how the funds go, I may
have to go and get a real job."

Martin, who has watched Janecek’s up and downs with a vested
interest, wants Janecek to have success not only in the tournament
but in his post-graduate days.

"I know Robert wants to go on the tour for a while," Martin
said. "I know that he will be successful no matter what he does,
whether it is playing tennis or out in the business world, because
he has a good work ethic."

For right now, Janecek is concentrating on the immediate future,
trying to regain control of the reigns.

"I am going to try to make my opponent work for every point,
instead of just giving it to them," Janecek said. "I am just going
to go for it."