With cutlure in place, success expected this season

Thursday, January 11

Phoenix, Ariz.

2 p.m.

Grand Canyon

Wichita State

Photo by: Jayden Todd

1/10/2024 11:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis, Paul Coro

Siddiqui bolsters GCU roster of 5 returnees with graduate transfers at top spots

By: Paul Coro

Grand Canyon men's tennis' second spring season under head coach Derek Siddiqui starts Thursday, but he does not need to see the way the Lopes play then to know how far the program has come.

Gcu Mens Tennis practice 1/4/24

From the first day of fall workouts, it was evident that the GCU program is headed for an even bigger leap than it took in Siddiqui's first season at the helm. The Lopes feel poised to be a WAC title challenger again with two talented graduate transfers joining five returnees who built a foundation.

When the Lopes take the GCU Tennis Facility courts at 11 a.m. on Thursday against Wichita State, they will look as integrated as they are intense.

"There's not one guy on the team who is bringing everyone down," Siddiqui said. "They all get along. They all push each other. How close they are off the court really shows on the court. It's just a night-and-day difference. As a coach, it's been so fun because I see how much it has changed after the first year and has set it in the right direction. Now, when I'm on the phone with high-level recruits, I'm confident with what we can do with them and get them ready for the tour."

Siddiqui, now joined by former Greece Davis Cup player Michail Pervoklarakis as a volunteer assistant, found a boost in talent and a match for talent and leadership in graduate transfers Gerhard Sullwald and Pablo Carretero Salvador.

Sullwald, an All-Summit League player for North Dakota, steps into the No. 1 spot for GCU after going 17-4 last season as the Fighting Hawks' No. 1 player.

Salvador arrives from Madrid, where he graduated from Colegio Internacional Altair and is adjusting to the quicker hard-court surface.

Their arrival allows sophomore Alfred Almasi, Siddiqui's first signee in 2023 from Slovakia, to bang his backhand at No. 4.

"When we added Jerry, Pablo and Fred to this roster, they brought a whole new dynamic of hard work and what that looks like on a day-to-day basis," Siddiqui said. "They really set the tone of what a Division I program is supposed to train and act like every day. I couldn't be more pleased with how the team worked all fall."

The mindset and approach has been changed by Sullwald's and Salvador's arrivals. Sullwald already was chosen by teammates to be this season's co-captain with senior Wyatt Anderson.

"Gerry's a guy who is going to play pound-for-pound tennis," Siddiqui said. "He's not going to be a guy who is going to grind from the baseline. He's going to serve big, hit big. He can scrap when he wants to, but the rallies are going to be limited."

Pablo Carretaro Salvador

That will contrast with Salvador, whose matches might be twice as long as Sullwald's.

"Pablo's mature, and he's played on a high level," Siddiqui said. "He's a competitor. He's one of the fastest guys in college, so he's going to be a nightmare for whoever plays that guy. They are going to have play really well to beat him."

Sophomore David Wekesa of Germany moves up to debut at No. 3 this season after going 6-8 at Courts 4-6 last season.

"He has the potential to be a lot of high-level players," Siddiqui said. "Everyone sees that."

Siddiqui has seen across-the-board development in the returnees because of their willingness to break from lifelong habits. The most-improved player from last season has been Almasi, who played as high as Court 2 last season.

"I don't think the guy ever takes a guy off of tennis," Siddiqui said. "He goes close with a lot of really high-level players."

The team's depth is shown in junior Jonathan Da Silva, a junior who clinched GCU's 2021 WAC title, moving to the No. 5 spot and sophomore Paolo Rosati returning at No. 6 after playing most of his matches at Court 4 last season.

"I think we're right up there now with Arlington and Abilene," Siddiqui said of the conference race. "Last year, we were pretty far. Now, 1 through 6, we're right there. We've caught up pretty quickly. If we can stay healthy, learn, get match-tough and embrace pressure, then we have a shot at winning for sure."

Sullwald and Wekesa will team at No. 1 doubles, where Wekesa played last season and makes for a big-serving duo. Salvador and Almasi were a surprise fit in the fall to become GCU's No. 2 doubles.

"The biggest thing was establishing the right culture, and I think we've done that," Siddiqui said. "The guys that we brought in and the returners have completely turned his program 180 degrees as far as the culture standpoint. That's the foundation we needed to build first."