Currently a rising sophomore, Westford Academy student Rishabh Anoop’s interest in tennis started back in childhood when he and his father would play together outside. He began playing competitively at the age of ten and joined the WA’s boys tennis team his freshman year.
Little did he know, this June he would be named the Dual County League’s Thorpe Division Player of the year.
“It feels great,” Anoop said. “It’s rewarding once you win something. In the moment it’s very hard because there are a lot of things that go on in your head when you play … when you win the trophy, you feel like all the work you put in just comes back out in another way.”
The Dual County League (DLC) is a high school level athletic association located in Middlesex and Suffolk County. It is also a part of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), an organization that organizes and regulates sports competitions between high schools across the state. In addition to Westford, the DLC also includes Acton-Boxborough, Boston Latin Bedford, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, Concord-Carlisle, Lincoln-Sudbury, Waltham, Wayland and Weston.
Player of the Year is decided by overall performance during the course of a single season. Players’ stats are looked over by an association of coaches across Massachusetts, who then determine nominees for titles including Player of the Year, MVP Player, All-Conference Player, and All Star Player.
Anoop stood out as a player who has a precise understanding of tennis and a hard work ethic despite his young age.
“Rishabh is a phenomenal talent on the court and a wonderful person off the court,” Patrick Claycomb, the Westford Academy Boy’s tennis coach said in a statement to The Westford Villager. “He’s methodical during the match. He learns from every point and uses that to his advantage. He has all the shots but having the great footwork he does puts him in great position for every shot. It is something that really sets him apart.”
According to the Lowell Sun, “Three of Anoop’s teammates were also honored. Preet Mood was an all-conference selection, while Shrey Chawla and Nikhil Ponnusamy were named to the all-star team … On the girls side, selected as Thorpe Division all-conference honorees were Westford Academy’s Melanie Chang and Pradnya Kekan. Chosen as all-stars were Emma Park and Haasini Shriraman of Westford.”
Claycomb was also named the DCL Coach of the Year.
“To be recognized by my peers meant a lot. I would be remiss not to mention our assistant coach Mike Towers and previous assistant Bruce Rich. Together we all built the program up since I started 5 years ago. This season really was a culmination of everything we have been working toward,” said Claycomb.
Claycomb added that as a coach, “building a personal and professional relationship with the players is something I strive for. When you build that trust, it allows the players to push themselves beyond what they thought was possible.”
Going forward, Anoop plans to continue playing on WA’s boy’s tennis team as one of three captains. He hopes to one day “win a state tournament, and looks forward to the upcoming season.
“Even though he was a freshman last year he became one of our leaders. He has great work ethic and is a great example for the other players,” Claycomb said.” I look forward to him taking a step forward in leading our team.”
