Esteban Carril Leads Horned Frogs
5/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 17, 2001
By Don Dowell
TCU's two-time All-American doesn't have the fastest serve or the most powerful volley game of the nation's elite players. His 6'2", 170-pound frame doesn't intimidate anyone. Instead, Esteban Carril wins with his all-around game, legs, and intense competitive fire. "I don't have a huge weapon," explains the nation's fourth-ranked player. "My strength is my speed and I can do a little bit of everything."
A left Achilles injury slowed Carril at the start of this spring, and he lost his first three matches. "It was real tough coming back from my injury, not tennis wise, but because I was far behind on my conditioning and it was hard to get it back," Carril said. A tough victory over UCLA's Jean-Julian Rojer, ranked #10 in the nation, signaled his return to form. "This win definitely made me more confident," Carril said. He went on to win twelve straight matches and climbed back up to #4 in the individual rankings.
Carril has played at #1 singles in dual matches for all four years of his stellar career. He made an immediate impact, receiving the #1 singles seed from NCAA Region VI and being named WAC Player of the Year during his rookie campaign. As a sophomore, Carril advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1999 NCAA Championships, the first Frog to go that far since the legendary David Pate in 1983. Last season, he finished with a 29-6 record at singles, including 12-3 against ranked opponents.
"Esteban is one of the best players ever to wear a Horned Frog uniform," first-year TCU head coach Joey Rive said. "He has great speed and the ability to take it up a notch in tense situations. His ability to beat anybody in the country gives you an advantage that you are going win at #1, and that's the toughest number to win at. He has had a great season and come through for us match after match."
Unlike other top-notch players looking to join the pro tour, Esteban is more interested in how the team performs than achieving individual goals. While not a real vocal leader, Carril can be the barometer for the team's performance. "In a way, he sets the mood for the team in his practices and in his matches," Rive noted. "Esteban does it more with his racket. He works very hard in practice and it sets the tone for how hard they work."
With six seniors on the team, the #4 ranked Frogs have high aspirations for this year's NCAA tournament in Athens, Georgia. "Definitely, we are focused on winning the national championship," Carril said. "We need to stay healthy and improve our doubles a little bit. We have good team players and are playing with confidence."
Normally a tough, intense competitor, Carril has shown the knack for rising to the occasion in tough matches against the top players, while occasionally playing to the level of lower competition or letting his temper negatively affect his performance. However, Rive has seen improvement in the consistency of his play this year.
"I try to strengthen a player's mind," Rive said. "When I first met Esteban, he was very up and down in his matches. So far, he is almost steady and been stable emotionally. I am also trying to help him be a little more aggressive. Some times he has a tendency to go back and rally, and beat someone with his legs, and I think that he can beat them with his volley as well."
Carril credits Rive with improving the team's overall play. "He was a really good player and is teaching us to be scrappier on the court, especially the American players. This will help us pull out tough matches. He has only been with us for six months, but he has been great for us."
A former member of the Spanish national team, Carril graduated from Irving HS after enrolling as a foreign exchange student. The native of Gijon, Spain didn't play in UIL events during his two years at Irving, but soon his competitive desire returned. "I needed a break," Carril said. "I was burned out big-time."
His doubles partner this year, sophomore Antonio Gordon, is also a Spaniard. Carril has taken on the big brother role, while helping Antonio with his English, his game and adjusting to life at TCU.
The senior business management major is undecided on his future, looking at finding a job, going to graduate school or possibly taking a shot at professional tennis. "It's an option, I don't dislike it, but it's tough to make it out there."
Carril starting wearing a bandanna when his winning streak started this spring, but went back to a cap in his recent 7-5, 7-5 loss to Tulsa's Pavel Sebastyanski. "I don't know why but I win with it. Today is the first day I took it off and played with my hat, and I lost, so maybe I will have to put it back on."
If the bandanna still works, TCU may win a national championship.
