Gallery • 3 Photos

Annie Zhang

PARTNERS. Sophomore Elle Williams taps rackets with her doubles partner after a good point. Despite her strong desire to, Williams has never had the opportunity to play competitive doubles with her brother, Aidan Williams. “We’ve never competed in a tournament together because tournaments rarely offer mixed doubles,” she said.

As the boys tennis team fought to defend their title as reigning state champions during the 2023 postseason, one sister cheered loudly for her older brother after every rally. While sophomore Elle Williams’ tennis season occurs at a different part of the year than her brother, Aidan Williams, the two continue to share a familial bond over tennis. As they have grown up, tennis has played a large role in their relationship as siblings and continues to deepen their relationship.

From a young age, Williams has been playing with her brother, starting around the same time as him and racking up seven total years of tennis experience. In the beginning of their tennis pursuits, Williams spent countless hours practicing with her brother at Fred Wells, a tennis education center, but eventually had to break off from doing so due to Aidan entering a higher level.

“We played at Fred Wells together and used to be in the same session,” she said. “Aidan is probably more serious about tennis than me because he plays more than I do [though].”

In combination with the siblings playing in different sessions, the limited opportunity for Williams to be able to compete alongside her older brother in tournaments has become another obstacle in their sibling dynamic given their limited on-court encounters.

“We’ve never competed in a tournament together because tournaments rarely offer mixed doubles,” Williams said.

However, even with the reduced number of options for Williams to compete alongside her brother in tournaments, she still makes an effort to ensure that their relationship is strong. In particular, she made sure to attend the state tournament in which her brother played, supporting him as the team took on numerous opponents: “…When the SPA boys varsity team won state last year, I remember cheering him on and then going out to eat afterwards,” Williams said.

She is one of her brother’s biggest supporters, but when it’s time for Williams to step onto the court, older brother Aidan’s encouragement and guidance shines through. Williams has been playing on the girls varsity tennis team since her freshman year  and although her skills have led her to this point, she accredits much of her technique to him: “[He] has taught me a ton about tennis,” Williams said. “I would definitely credit my serve and forehand approach shot as his teaching skills.”

While Williams’ pathway in tennis may have diverged from her brother’s, the two do not fail to support each other in overcoming hurdles the sport throws at them and as the younger sibling, Williams looks up to her brother, recognizing him as a role model and as “an amazing player and a big inspiration…to keep playing.”

The girls tennis team’s next match is on Oct. 2 against St. Paul Humboldt at 4:00 p.m. at home.