Thomas Weigel of the NC State men’s tennis team has had success on the court since day one and looks to continue that success in his final season with the Pack.
Before the senior joined the Wolfpack in 2012, Weigel won four ITF singles titles and two ITF doubles titles. He also had made it to the semifinals of the German Championships. Adjusting to collegiate play didn’t take him long.
“The first week was tough since I didn’t know many of the guys, and they had already known each other from the last semester,” Weigel said. “It was pretty quick that I got to know everyone, and now we’re pretty close.”
Weigel started his career at State strong, finishing tied for second-most wins on the team and collecting eight consecutive wins at the beginning of spring 2013. He played every spot on the lineup aside from No. 6 his freshman year.
Sophomore year filled with accomplishments. Weigel collected 19 singles victories, 14 doubles victories and was able to reach the ITA Carolina Regional singles quarterfinal.
Weigel continued to improve his junior season, as he finished the season with a team-best 25-11 singles record and 20-6 doubles record. He went undefeated in eight singles matches near the end of the season, and his partner changed five times throughout his 12 undefeated doubles matches as well.
Already this spring, Weigel has remained undefeated in singles and doubles with a 4-0 record.
“I’m really confident about our team,” the Weigel said.
The Bocholt, Germany native spent the 2015 fall season in his home country, working and playing club tennis when he could.
“I only had 10 credits left to graduate; I talked to my coach, and he asked if I wanted to take a semester off so that I could play in the [spring] season instead of graduating in the fall,” Weigel said. “It helped me out because it meant I could do an internship in Germany and play in more tournaments.”
Weigel was limited in his action on the tennis court while he was away but kept in shape knowing he was returning to State for the 2016 season.
“[My club team] only had four matches, and we went a league lower so the level was not as high as the last few years,” Weigel said. “I played a lot of smaller tournaments because there were not as many around me. Plus, with the internship, I didn’t have much time to travel. It was fun though.”
The team travels to Oklahoma State (6-1) Tuesday to take on the Cowboys.
“I expect [Oklahoma] to compete hard, but I don’t think it will be much different from what we’ve seen the last few years in the ACC,” Weigel said. “We’ve played a lot of good teams, and it will only prepare us for more in the ACC.”
The men’s tennis team is very diverse, with players coming from a wide range of countries, such as Greece and Russia, but the variety of culture on the team does not affect its chemistry, explained Weigel.
“[Chemistry on the team] is just natural,” Weigel said. “There’s not much we have to work on to be able to communicate well. We have a lot of new guys, but we’re a close team already after only three weeks. We may even be closer than we have been the last three years, so that’s going to really help us in doing well this season, despite the loss of three good players.”
The team will lose Weigel and fellow senior Simon Norenius after the conclusion of the spring season. The door for Weigel’s future remains wide open.
“I’m applying for jobs right now, and if I find a really good one, I think I’ll work,” the senior said. “If I don’t find one that interests me, I’m going to play tennis. I don’t really have a fixed plan.”
