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Real Ace Panthers

“In the first week of July, there is an ITF

Tournament in the city where I live and I’m planning to play doubles together with (former teammate) Greta Carbone,” Burgersdijk said. “Greta was on the team my sophomore year, and we always kept in great contact, so I invited her to come to The Netherlands. We will practice a couple of days together and then play doubles in the tournament week. It is a great opportunity since Greta and I never got to play on such a big professional stage. I’m super excited to see how far we can make it.”

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The staff of the Roar Report sat down for a Q&A session with Burgersdijk.

Roar Report: How long have you been playing tennis?

Babette Burgersdijk: “I started around the age of four! Super early. This was mostly because my dad always played tournaments and I went with my mom to watch him. And seeing my dad play, I also wanted to play, so I started some lessons as soon as I was old enough to start. But I was probably holding my first racquet around the age of three since I was just way to excited to follow my dad’s footsteps.”

RR: What was the path that led you to playing at Louisiana Lafayette?

BB: “During my last year of high school, I had my doubts about what I wanted to do after. Study in The Netherlands, go full-time (professional) or go to the U.S. for college. I love playing in a team setting, so I kind of realized that college would be the best option since I could combine an education with tennis. Since it was COVID, the process was quite shortened, and I didn’t have as much contact with coaches/players as the nonCOVID times. I really liked the big athletic department with lots of teams and great facilities at ULL. Besides that, I really liked the warmer climate since I knew that the weather would be great all year round. However, I got back on that quickly after I arrived, it was way too humid for me.”

RR: How was your experience playing for them?

BB: “It was overall such a good experience to play in the South for one year. I made friendships for life, people I still talk to on a regular basis right now. And it made me realize that college tennis is a different kind of game than junior tennis. The department at the end of the day was too big and it made me feel like ‘one of the many student athletes’ and didn’t make me feel at home.”

RR: What led you to Milwaukee?

BB: “When I decided to transfer from ULL, the most important part for me was the coach. So in my calls with other schools, I really looked for the right connection and someone who would support my game. Besides that, I liked the South, but I felt like maybe indoor tennis and a little bit cooler climate could help my game as well. So combining all these factors led me to Milwaukee.”

RR: What are some of your favorite memories from your first few months in Milwaukee?

BB: “Some of my favourite memories are for sure the smaller things such as the van rides, warm-ups. But also the beach days the first week, I remember that the day after I arrived, I had met everyone from the team. Even the girls that graduated that year were there, which made me realize that this place must be special. Not a lot of graduates stay long in the same place after they graduate but here a lot of them did. Another one of my favourite memories was exploring downtown for the first time, I remember me and Giorgia (Cavestro) exploring Third Ward and the Public Market.”

RR: What did you learn from your first season with the Panthers?

BB: “My first season with the team was individually one of the hardest years when it comes to tennis. I didn’t play a lot; I was struggling with an injury that just didn’t want to go away. So I played some singles at the end of the year but I never got close to reaching my potential. However, I learned how to be a team. We had a lot of away matches where we spent hours and hours in a van. But we got so close with each other that it felt like nothing. We had so much fun during the season. And that made me realize that having a team that supports you no matter what is way more important than winning every match. We never stopped believing in our dream of winning the conference title and made it to the finals, where we lost a super-close battle to Youngstown State. I will never forget that conference tournament.”

RR: How did you get involved with the Student-

Athlete Advisory Committee and what do you like best about being a SAAC representative?

BB: “I got involved through former representatives Mayya (Perova) and Anika (Tylek) actually. Mayya graduated and asked me to take over her spot. And I’m always interested in learning more and being involved in the department is something I don’t walk away from. So I decided to do it! Being part of SAAC really gives me a feeling of involvement and family. Everyone knows each other, and it really gives a nice opportunity to stay in contact with each other. It’s also an exciting opportunity since you can really help to make a change within the department.”

RR: You moved from mainly #5 singles last year to #1 singles this season … how did you handle the change and what were the biggest differences to you?

BB: “I think I handled the change pretty okay. In the beginning I was pretty nervous about it and did not really believe that I could actually play in that line. However, the further I got into the season the more I believed that I could do great at the number one spot.

At the end of the season I really got the confidence and really felt like I could battle anyone. The biggest difference was for sure the level of fitness. All the girls I played against were super fit and were able to hit balls for hours. However, the difference between a good player and a winner at the number one spot is to really trust your aggressive game style. On days that I was 100 percent committed to my game were the days that I played my best and won.”

RR: What were the biggest reasons for your success on the court this past year?

BB: “There are several reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was my fitness level. I got really fit this season; I worked out a lot at home during the winter. But mostly the workouts we did in the fall were super-beneficial to me, and I felt super-strong on the court. Another reason that really helped me being successful this season was the coaching style of Ryan (Kucera). He really embraced my game, and we worked together day-in and day-out to become better at that game. We already got a lot better, but Ryan and I both know that there is much more to get out of that game, so I’m super excited that I get to battle it out with the girls one more year. And I’m even more excited to see where my level can go if I keep improving my game.”

RR: You were named Academic All-League and All-District. What do those honors mean to you?

BB: “A lot, to be honest the Academic All-League was a huge honour for me. It was one of my main goals I set before the season started. And I would never have thought that I would make it to the Horizon League Academic team. It’s sometimes a hustle to be a student and an athlete, but getting these honours is a huge reward that motivates me to keep going. The fact that all four returners (all my roomies ;) got AllDistrict honours says a lot about how dedicated we are to our academics. We really try to push each other when it comes to our schoolwork!”

RR: The tennis team carries the highest GPA in the department … is that a point of pride that is team effort and something that is discussed as a goal?

BB: “Yes, we have carried the highest team GPA for quite some time now. And we obviously are very proud to carry that title. The funny thing is that we actually don’t need to set it as a goal. We just really try to help and motivate each other to do good in school. When someone struggles, we try to help that person, and make sure that she gets the help she needs. As a team we are so super close, but at this point we are also just a friend group of eight girls that really want to see each other succeed as people. So getting good grades is just part of our team culture, I guess!”

RR: We heard that you run the social media account for your club back home. How did that come about and what do you like about it?

BB: “Yes that’s right! I have been doing that for two years now, and it’s actually something I really like to do! The club was looking for people to start doing it, and that’s kind of how I rolled into it. It’s not that big of a deal, but it’s just making sure that all club members stay updated about the things that happen at the club. We have some great junior players at the club, so I also make sure that they get the attention they deserve.”

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