It’s not often that a team captain is described by his coach and teammates as “not the most talented player.” But for senior co-captain Charlie Brosens of the men’s tennis team, it’s his desire and tenacity that push him to the top.
“He’s the greatest fighter we have,” sophomore Yohei Shoji said. “He never gives up and always finds a way to win.”
Brosens said that his style of play has stayed the same since he began playing tennis. Without a dominant serve or volley, the senior relies on strong ground strokes, consistent aggressiveness and superior stamina to wear down his opponents.
“I try to play a tough match and fight for every point,” Brosens said. “I grind out the match.”
He added that he has been successful by challenging the mental and physical stamina of his opponents. Brosens noted that on at least five different occasions in his career, opponents have cramped up by the middle of the match and were unable to play to their fullest.
Because of a rash of injuries on this year’s team, Brosens was thrust into the No. 1 singles spot, where he faces his competition’s toughest players. Brosens, who played No. 5 and No. 6 singles in previous years, spends up to four hours every day practicing, working out and visiting the physical therapist.
“He’s taken a huge jump this year, from the five to the one,” head coach Glenn Michibata said. “He’s taken on that responsibility like a champion.”
Michibata, who is entering his 10th year as coach, also said that he chose Brosens to be one of the Tigers’ captains because he is a “fierce competitor.”
“He’s the guy who knows how to win,” Michibata explained. “He’s one of the guys who rises to the occasion.”
The coach’s sentiments about Brosens’ clutch play were echoed by senior co-captain Ilya Trubov.
“He’s the ultimate big-match pressure player,” Trubov said. “We can really count on Charlie to bring it when it matters most.”
Indeed, Brosens has been that important clutch player since his freshman year, when he clinched two team wins with deciding victories in the tie-breaking match. For these efforts and his consistent, hardworking approach to his craft, Michibata awarded Brosens the George Myers Church Tennis Trophy his freshman year, a high honor.
“When there’s a lot of pressure on the line, I like it,” Brosens said. “I end up doing pretty well in those circumstances.”
Bragging and boasting are clearly not in Brosens’ vocabulary, and he spoke humbly when discussing his strengths.
Perhaps Brosens’ most memorable match occurred his sophomore year, when a shoulder injury forced him to serve underhanded. Even with this obvious handicap, Brosens was able to beat his opponent with a combination of powerful forehands and backhands.
One of Brosens’ strong points is his intimate knowledge of his own strengths and weaknesses. He noted that his serve is “not very good, and never has been,” so he concentrates more on improving the power of his groundstrokes than his serve.
“Charlie is really focused and diligent,” Trubov noted. “He knows what his limitations are.”
Brosens has no delusions of grandeur — he is realistic and even a bit self-deprecating in talking about his tennis play. “I’ve been trying to step up to the chalk even though the people I play are better than me,” he said.
Brosens’ strategy led him to a 7-8 individual singles record this year. Despite the increased pressure to perform this season, Brosens said he remains light during matches and tries to plays the underdog role to put pressure on his opponents.
“Sometimes there’s too much focus on winning the match,” he explained. “But you can’t win them all.”
Due to an injured shoulder, Brosens was not heavily recruited coming out of high school, and he began his Princeton career at the bottom of the list of players. He won a starting position his freshman spring and never looked back. Still, his partially torn labrum has flared up at times, and he was forced to sit out part of last season.
Brosens remained upbeat when discussing his Princeton tennis experience. “I’ve gotten more mileage out of tennis than I expected,” he said.
Off the courts, Brosens is a philosophy major and a member of Colonial Club. He said he spends too much time on tennis, however, and does not have the time necessary to be an active member of his eating club. Trubov, his roommate, half-jokingly explained that Brosens spends much of his day sleeping. Brosens’ teammates described him as goofy and friendly outside of tennis, yet he walks onto the courts with a workman’s mentality.
“He leads by example and is always working hard,” Shoji said. “If you’re playing next to him, it definitely helps a lot.”
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