Lessons learned Strong serve, composure help Cheli through obstacles

By John Cheli IV Leader Staff Writer

Tennis is one of those sports that sticks with you throughout your entire life, and nobody demonstrates the importance of the sport better than Vadim Cheli.

Cheli is an Illinois Valley Community College student and an avid tennis player for the Eagles.

Cheli is known around campus as an easy-going guy who makes friends easily. He enjoys hanging out in the student lounge and playing ping-pong with anyone who asks.

Ping-pong may be fun, but tennis is more than a game to Cheli. He is looking forward to taking on the season with a fierce forehand.

After speaking to Cheli about his love for tennis, it is evident that it continues to be a growing interest.

“Having a strong serve makes tennis more fun,” Cheli says.

You can find Cheli practicing tennis Wednesdays and Saturdays with the team, which now has four Zimbabwe players. The team is looking promising for the 2023 season, according to Cheli.

For Cheli, there is only one other thing as important as tennis, and that is striving for personal excellence. Cheli says that tennis is more than a game; it is a way to grow as a person mentally and physically.

Cheli told a story about a tournament at the end of the regular season where learned to build mental endurance. He claimed that the lessons learned in tennis can be carried anywhere in life.

In a singles match against a promising player out of McHenry, Cheli was tasked with more than a tennis game. The game involved heckling from the crowd from the opponent’s side. The family and friends of the McHenry player were constantly agitating Cheli.

“Every time I won a point, they would cheer for me, making it hard to stay composed,” he explained.

Although the pressure and intensity of the match overcame Cheli that day, it never deterred him from learning the lessons that tennis teaches.

Instead, Cheli said he learned a lesson of resilience and devotion to staying composed under pressure. He may have lost the match, but he stayed cool and never faltered.

This, he said, is why tennis is such an important sport. The match may not go as planned, but the satisfaction of a good game is as rewarding as a trophy---although Cheli says it is nice to have both.

Ben Morrow, Cheli’s doubles partner, formed a bond with the tennis player during their high school years, where Morrow played for St. Bede and Cheli for Ottawa.

Morrow stated Vadim is a “focused and confident player” who is “always out there to have fun while winning games”.

Cheli is focused on his season at hand and had many good things to say about the coming matches.

“I am prepared to do what I must do to qualify for sectionals,” he said. “I am focused on perfecting my technique and making friends along the way.”

The team’s first home game of the season is April 12. The tennis team plays at the L-P High School Sports Complex on Airport Road.

Eagles catcher Ella Sibert celebrates as the umpire calls a Highland Cougars runner out at the plate. The Eagles split a double-header with their conference foe on March 28. The Streator Woodland product boasts a .486 batting average for the Eagles.