CENTRAL PARK — Three years, victories in 42 consecutive tennis meets, and three Section 2 championships. That’s impressive, but what may be most notable is the way the Guilderland players and their coach focus on the team aspect of a sport that is individual at its core.

When a Dutch player is deep within the thrall of his particular match, he is also thinking of what’s happening to his teammates. The one match that he’s playing may be the most important, but so are the other eight matches that are going on.

Because if Guilderland can win five out of nine matches — and it has done at least that for a long time — then nothing else really matters.

“We’re big on having a strong support system and keeping the energy up,” said Salil Chaudhry, who defeated Niskayuna’s Elan Shania in two sets (6-3, 6-1) during Guilderland’s title defense last Thursday. “Even the guys that don’t see as much time as the starters are supporting. We’ve all become so close — always picking each other up and staying strong.”

In between points or while waiting for an incoming serve, the Guilderland players yell out across the tennis courts to their teammates. “Let’s go,” followed by a player’s name is frequently heard.

As someone who plays a lot of competitive tennis outside of Guilderland’s spring season, Alex Fedorov says that high school tennis is more for the team than the individual. “I’m not worried about my teammates, just interested in motivating them,” he said; the top-seeded junior has lost not one set in team play over the last three years. “I want them to do as best as they can.”

Fedorov told The Enterprise that Guilderland’s practices are structured for unity, and that Head Coach Curtis Snyder does a very good job.

“I care about them, and they truly care about one another and seeing each other do well,” said Snyder, who teaches at the school. “And I mean caring about each other as people, not just players. We see each other all the time, chat all the time; it’s a nice relationship.”

Guilderland’s everlasting support helps maintain the players’ mental fortitude, which is key to any success in tennis. It’s a grueling sport, and sometimes emotions can flare up.

Snyder’s coaching style mixes the tactics of tennis with the mental edge. “They all have that in common, and they’re smart enough to attack the opponent in whatever way it works for them,” he said of the Dutch players. “They feel it out, I notice things, and then I’ll point it out. We figure it out together on the fly.”

Fedorov says that he likes to control every aspect of a match — physical and emotional — to try to leave his opponent with no breathing room. Chaudhry is more of a grinder, Snyder said, a player who will wear down the opponent, and attack only when he needs to.

“It’s a mental battle, and Snyder helps us focus,” Chaudhry said. “We all talk about tennis a lot, and we can get down, but we do a good job of keeping things upbeat.”

^{_{Michael Zhu eyes the tennis ball after tossing it up for a serve for Guilderland last Thursday during the team’s championship victory over Niskayuna. The Dutch won five matches, but Zhu lost his match, 6-2, 6-3. Zhu advanced to the individual sectional finals this week with doubles partner Bill Dong. The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael}}

Guilderland has one senior, Nate Backus, who played at the sixth singles spot this season. Over the years, the Dutchmen have had its share of young players rise to the occasion as the more experienced players take them under their wings and give them pointers on how to play better tennis. For example, Backus helped Jake Wheeler, a doubles’ player, with his serve this year, Fedorov said.

“We definitely make each other better,” said Fedorov, who taught Seraj Suresh, another doubles’ player, how to get more spin on his serve. “If we see something, we’ll say something. It’s just basic stuff,” said Fedorov.

Winning three consecutive sectional titles, and four out of the last five, is a good indicator of the kind of talent that Guilderland has been bringing in. It’s a good mix, Snyder says, and it’s distributed throughout the entire team.

Snyder said that winning never gets boring, adding, “but we have overcome different things.” In 2015, it was Snyder’s knee replacement surgery, which left the Guilderland players without their head coach for two weeks. Deb O’Brien, who coaches the junior varsity team, and the girls’ varsity team in the fall, filled in for Snyder.

Guilderland’s extended winning streak could have folded right there, Snyder says; he’s the one who puts out the fires. “If I’m not there, who knows what happens,” he said. “I know a certain way of talking to the guys.”

Saratoga won four matches against Guilderland, but the Dutch won five to keep the streak intact. “They’re very confident,” Snyder said of his players. “But they like the comfort of the talks before, during, and after. I’m always there for them, and sometimes it’s appropriate for me to settle them down.”

Chaudhry said that Guilderland is very happy with the 42-meet win streak, but they’re not letting it get to their heads. “It’s cool, but it’s not the main factor,” he said. “We go one game and one match at a time. We try to push the win streak out of our heads because we just want the title.”

Fedorov said that Guilderland is spoiled, and lucky. “This is bigger than me; I’m representing my school,” he added. “I try to do everything that I can for the team, and I like to see Guilderland do better than any other school — academics or athletics.”

The Dutchmen might be the most unified tennis team in Section 2. It has a central focus, and a general awareness that all nine matches come together to equal one overall score.

“Everyone is one,” said Chaudhry. “I always think of them because they’re always thinking of me,” he said of his teammates. “And if anyone of us is feeling negative energy, we try to turn that into positive energy for someone else.”

Guilderland will lose a tennis meet some day, but it still might be a long time before that happens.

“I’ll only say that my team is great after we win a title,” Snyder said. “Ultimately, we have great players, and I’m blessed for that. It’s my job to mold them into champions.”

Tennis is an individual sport, but Guilderland seems to have no interest in that sort of culture.

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