When past success fuels an opponent’s fire, coach Billy Martin has a certain saying.

“You’ve got to set what the future will be for UCLA tennis,” Martin said.

Continuing Pac-12 play, UCLA men’s tennis (9-5, 1-1 Pac-12) is set to visit Berkeley and Palo Alto this weekend to square up against two conference competitors in its second consecutive weekend on the road. California (9-7, 1-2 Pac-12) will serve as its Friday foe with No. 24 Stanford (11-6, 2-1 Pac-12) slated for Saturday.

Three of the Cardinal’s players hold spots within the top 20 of the ITA singles rankings, but the daunting statistics aren’t enough to dim Martin’s optimism.

“I don’t feel quite as threatened (in the four, five and six positions),” Martin said. “If we can pull off winning the doubles point, win a couple (in the) lower part of the lineup, it’s (going to) take, if not divine intervention, one hell of an effort to get three points in the singles.”

The Bruins currently hold the upper hand on both teams, with all-time records of 76-57 versus Stanford and 102-16 versus Cal.

Senior Patrick Zahraj, who has played at the No. 1 singles position since Feb. 11 following an injury to sophomore Alexander Hoogmartens, will shape up against Stanford’s No.1 option in Arthur Fery. Zahraj has seen both sides of the story against these opponents in recent years, but said that past successes are best left in the past.

“I just personally don’t believe what happened in the past,” Zahraj said. “Every year is a new year. Yes, the guys who are older on the team have been up here a couple of times and have experienced how difficult it can be, so that certainly helps. But every year there is a new team and we have to earn it.”

Rather than needing to motivate the younger Bruins in trying times, the older players assist them by keeping them content and mentally prepared, according to Zahraj. The three freshmen that have occupied half of the singles courts for the past two months are the most energized players that the senior has seen during his time at UCLA.

Martin said the crop of newcomers have the benefit of fresh perspective, and that returners share their mindset of living in the present.

“(The freshmen) have no clue about that record, or what the past has been,” Martin said. “When we walk out on the court, just because we’ve had success for us, doesn’t mean anything. If anything it fuels the other guys to not want to have maybe our success continue – play each match for itself.”

UCLA will get the chance to start with a victory when it takes the courts at 1 p.m. on Friday in Berkeley.