Question & Answer With Saras Arasu

Dec. 28, 2004

Saras Arasu is a senior with the Duke women's tennis team and sat down with GoDuke.com to talk about the season and the Christmas holiday. Over her four-year career, she has collected an 88-32 singles record. She is a native of Tampa, Fla., and was an All-ACC selection as a freshman with the Blue Devils.

GoDuke.com: How was the fall season for you?

Saras Arasu: I think it was, for the most, part good. I think both me and the rest of the team played a lot of tournaments; got a lot of match play in. I think at the end we were starting to feel comfortable, especially the last tournament was kind of like a dual match situation. So we got to see how that would work as far as team goes. It's too bad that the break is now, that we can't continue that. Because I think at the end people were starting to play pretty well, getting into the match mode. But for the most part I think it went well.

GoDuke.com: Is it hard to believe that you are already a senior. Has your college experience gone by fast and how has your time been at Duke?

Saras Arasu: It went by extremely fast. Especially in the spring season of each year. We play so many matches and we're traveling all the time, and then also, on top of all of that, dealing with all your school work. It just flies by every time. I can just remember it like yesterday, being here as a freshman. So the four years have gone by extremely fast.

GoDuke.com: Have you enjoyed it?

Saras Arasu: Oh yeah, definitely. Traveling to all these different places and getting to see schools I've never seen and being with different teammates each year, it's just been a great experience.

GoDuke.com: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Saras Arasu: Definitely as far as NCAA goes, the Final Four experience. It was my sophomore year when we lost to Florida. I thought we had great depth, we had a great team that year, and we had won National Indoors which was great that year. You know, we lost that time to Florida, but I think that was a great experience. Each member of the team fought extremely hard for that. That year, also sophomore year, winning the ACC Championship was great. I remember Julie won her final match and everyone was extremely happy winning; because the year before we actually lost to UNC. So I think those two were probably the best moments.

GoDuke.com: The fall season is mainly an individual season, but how is the team coming together?

Saras Arasu: This last tournament we had like a mock dual match, and I think that got to show how we could play with a line up as far as one through six goes and playing doubles, one through three in doubles. Especially for some of the transfers and some of the freshmen, they got to see how we gel together and work together. We played three days of matches and I think by the third day we were getting pretty comfortable and getting used to it. I think we should be ready when January starts.

GoDuke.com:Do you think your depth of the team is going to help it out? You're battling everyday against a top player in the country; do you think that's going to pay off?

Saras Arasu: Yeah, I think we have extremely good depth this year as far as the team goes. Every position is very important, no matter where it is from one to six, so I think that can definitely help us in the long run when we get into the season where we're playing the top teams in the country for sure.

GoDuke.com: You had a very successful fall campaign netting 14 singles wins. What is going well for you right now?

Saras Arasu: I think in the summer, I was actually here for summer school. I got to play, because when I wasn't studying or going to my class, I played here a lot. Kristin [Cargill] was here during summer school so I practiced with her a lot and tried to work on parts of my game that I've been trying to incorporate into my matches, especially this fall. Sometimes I regress a little bit, I think for the most part, though, when I would implement those things I've been working on I think that helped me in some of the wins I've had this fall. So I hope to continue that as far as the season goes, too.

GoDuke.com: Being a senior this year, are you trying to take more of a leadership role on the team?

Saras Arasu: Yeah, I definitely try. For the most part, I'm usually a quiet person and stuff, but I've definitely - because this is going to be my fourth year - I know the ropes a little more. I've been around the coaches a lot and just experience. Being in NCAA's, being in the ACC Championship, being in National Indoors. I've experienced all that. So I'm definitely going to try to instill... like I try in everything I do to work as hard as I can, and give 100% no matter what I'm doing, and I hope that that can kind of rub off on the whole team in general. And as a whole team in general, just try to work on no matter what the situation is, giving it your all.

GoDuke.com: What are you majoring in and do you know what you would like to do after graduation?

Saras Arasu: I'm majoring in Biology and I'm also pre-med, so right now the plan is to take the MCAT in the summer, this coming summer, and hopefully, just once I take that, apply to med school. As far as when I go to med school, I'm not quite sure. But that's the future, hopefully.

GoDuke.com: Do you have any idea kind of doctor you'd like to be?

Saras Arasu: Actually I have no idea about that. I'm just hoping that as I get further along in this process that some things...actually I'm taking a human physiology course next semester, so that will touch on a lot of aspects and maybe I'll find something that interests me and might want to focus on towards that specific field. But right now I have no idea what kind of doctor I want to be.

GoDuke.com: If you could play another sport at Duke what would it be and why?

Saras Arasu: I would have to say probably soccer. Growing up, my brothers played soccer a lot and growing up with them they played competitive soccer. So I would always be with them, kicking the ball around and stuff like that. And in general, I just like being outside, throwing the football or kicking a ball. So I think I would like that the best because in general I like running a lot and I always had an interest in it, but I just never did it because I was always so focused on tennis.

GoDuke.com: What other hobbies do you have other than playing tennis?

Saras Arasu: I don't really have any specific hobby. I would just have to, in general, say I'm a big outdoorsy kind of person, I love being outside doing whatever it may be. I'm not too into being inside or stuff like that. So if you're going to find me, it's usually going to be outside doing something. GoDuke.com: Do you enjoy hanging out in the Duke Gardens?

Saras Arasu: I've only actually been there a couple of times, but I'd actually like to go to them more often. I haven't been there too often but it's definitely a very pretty place.

GoDuke.com: What is one thing that most people don't know about you?

Saras Arasu: Most people think I'm really, really shy. But once you do get to know me, I definitely open up a lot. I think that's kind of a misconception that most people think I'm really shy, if you get to know me more, I definitely open up a lot.

GoDuke.com: Do you have any pre-match rituals?

Saras Arasu: I just in general, I try to listen to music. I try to have a CD player and try to sit down. Maybe right before the match go to somewhere it's a little more quiet, where not so many people are around and just kind of sit there, just kind of relax, and not be too tense about the situation. Just kind of close my eyes, relax, and then go into the match. But try to get away from a little bit of the crowd.

GoDuke.com: If you could appear on the cover of any magazine, what would it be?

Saras Arasu: Sports Illustrated.

GoDuke.com: With you being from Tampa, Fla., did your hometown get hit by any of the hurricanes this fall?

Saras Arasu: We didn't get specifically hit right on target. Charlie was projected to hit on top of us, but we got a lot of winds, a lot of rain. But as far as my area in Tampa, it was not too bad. But there are areas not too far, maybe 20 miles off of us, that were hit pretty badly. Where I live, we were really lucky actually.

GoDuke.com: Who got you started playing tennis?

Saras Arasu: I actually only started playing tennis because one of my best friends back in elementary school asked me to play in a camp one summer. I usually hung out with her a lot - well a couple other friends, too - and she wanted to play in a tennis camp. So I said yes. And I'd never really heard of tennis before, well I mean I'd heard of it, but I wasn't interested in it or anything like that. And I went with her to the camp and she quit after a week because, you know, Florida's pretty hot in the summers. So she quit after a week. I actually really enjoyed it, and I kept playing, and started from there. That was at age seven. But I have no connection with tennis at all in my family. At all. I was the first one.

GoDuke.com: What are your plans for the holidays?

Saras Arasu: My plans over the holidays is to just relax and spend time with my friends and my family. I definitely will be playing a lot of tennis since our season starts as soon as we get back. For the most part, just enjoying the fact that I have a break from school work.

GoDuke.com: Is there a certain holiday memory you have that stands out from your childhood?

Saras Arasu: A favorite childhood memory of mine was waking up with my brothers really early in the morning, sometimes as early as three, and going over to the Christmas tree to see what kind of presents were there. Then we would just camp out in the family room until morning came.

GoDuke.com: What is one thing that you would like to have for Christmas?

Saras Arasu: There are a couple things, but I would definitely like an I Pod.

Favorites:

Type of racket: The current racket I use, the Babolat racket. Tennis court to play on: Hard court for a surface. Food: Pasta. Book: Wuethering Heights. TV Show: The O.C. Movie: Shrek. Actor/Actress: Julia Roberts. Professional team: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. Professional athlete: Roger Federrer. Place at Duke: The Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. Favorite CD: Switchfoot.

Question & Answer With Saras Arasu

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