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08/24/2022 07:18 AMThe responsibility of playing No. 1 singles for a high school tennis team requires a great deal of skill and a tremendous work ethic. Fortunately, Lucas de Lencastre, a rising senior at North Haven High School, possesses all of the traits that are needed to succeed at the No. 1 singles position. Lucas’s desire and determination have made him a force for both the Nighthawks’ boys’ tennis and soccer squads.
Lucas held down the top spot in the lineup with the North Haven boys’ tennis team during the 2022 spring season. Lucas was always matched up against formidable opponents at No. 1 singles and, although he didn’t come out victorious every time, he won the matches that he felt he should have won. Lucas’s experience in a season where he had to battle through a few injuries gave him confidence and made him believe in himself as a tennis player.
“I had a string of very tough opponents, nationally ranked kids, because I play No. 1 on the team. Although I did end up losing all of them, for some reason, deep down, to be able to lose repeatedly, but still give it your best effort every time, it was nice,” says Lucas. “I did a lot of learning, because I saw what they did better than me, and I could work on my game based on what they were trying to target.”
Lucas finished his junior season with 9 wins while playing No. 1 singles for the Nighthawks, helping the team qualify for the Class M State Tournament. While he was hoping to post a few more victories, Lucas felt proud about how he gave it his best effort every time that he stepped between the baselines.
“You can have all of the talent in the world, but if in tennis specifically, if you’re not always in it for every single point and giving everything that you can to win an individual point, you’re just simply not going to perform,” Lucas says. “You always have to be competing. You always have to want to win. You always want to have to fight for every ball.”
Lucas’s dedication to success as a junior caught the attention of many of his teammates, as well as North Haven’s head coach, John Higgins. Coach Higgins admires Lucas’s poise on the tennis court, along with his drive to get better and compete his hardest no matter the circumstance.
“Lucas is definitely up to the challenge of taking on these players from these other schools that are extremely talented, as well,” says Higgins. “He didn’t back down. That was one of his strengths. Our younger guys look up to him.”
Lucas started playing tennis and soccer at a young age. He participated in both sports for six years until taking a break from tennis when he was 10. However, once high school came around, Lucas wanted to get back into it. Lucas knew that it wasn’t going to be easy to dive back into tennis, but he put in as much effort as he could in order to reach his goals and make an impact with the Nighthawks.
“Sophomore year was my first year playing in a while. I was super rusty and everything was not too great,” Lucas says. “That summer, I went to a camp in Florida, where I was playing eight hours a day for two weeks straight, trying to improve in every aspect of the game. For the rest of the summer after I got back, I was working hard into the winter and spring, doing my best to improve.”
Lucas’s offseason effort helped him earn the No. 1 singles position in North Haven’s lineup this year. In his senior year, Lucas will be serving as a captain for the boys’ soccer team before he plays his final season of tennis. Lucas wants to have a better year at No. 1 singles as a senior, while helping the Nighthawks improve as a group.
“I would like to do better this year and make states, but then actually go a little bit further into the tournament this year,” says Lucas. “I like winning. To be able to win matches, that’s what pushes me the most.”
Lucas gets a big boost from competing alongside his friends on the tennis court. Lucas encouraged several of his soccer teammates to join him as a member of the tennis squad. While surrounded by some of his closest peers, Lucas feels like he’s in a better position to succeed with less pressure weighing him down.
“It’s really fun, because a lot of my friends are on the team, and I got them to do it with me. It’s a nice social aspect to be able to interact with friends outside of school,” Lucas says. “It can take the pressure off. If you don’t have someone that you feel comfortable around, you may feel more tense. If my friends are there, they’re always there to lighten the mood and crack a joke.”
Lucas is looking forward to continue improving on both the soccer field and tennis court as a senior. Lucas is excited for the challenges that lie ahead in his last year at North Haven and knows that he will need a strong mentality to tackle the task at hand.
“The mental aspect is very important in both sports. You have to have the confidence to go for certain things,” says Lucas. “You have to have the mental capability to stay up even when you’re losing or something unfortunate happens. You have to be able to keep your mind in a good state in order to continue playing at your best ability.”