He’s poised to serve, dribbling the ball several times. He touches it to the hilt of his racket, tosses it up, his back foot slides forward, and in one motion he snaps forward, hammering the shot across the net.  

Despite his powerful serve and his title as reigning Empire 8 Player of the Year, junior Taylor Borda does not consider his serve to be his biggest strength.

“My serve has never been the strongest part of my game, mechanically,” he said. “My toss is never really out front as much as it should be, so I’m throwing it back and then trying to kick it.”  

But “kicking it” seems to be working for Borda, who began playing tennis at age 7. Growing up he would play against family while trying to mimic characteristics of professional players.

“I was a huge [Andre] Agassi fan, my dad was also, so naturally I looked to him and watched him,” Borda said. “When I watched [professionals] on television I would try to emulate what I saw. Everything from their footwork to their strokes, I’d try to implement that into my game.”

Borda’s emulation of Agassi is evident on the court. Agassi is known for his exceptional command of the baseline, and Borda has tried to do the same.

“I’m more of a net player, and he’s more of a baseliner,” sophomore doubles partner Josh Rifkin said of Borda. “He hits so hard and flat; he sets me up all the time. It’s so great knowing that when the ball comes back it’s probably going to be an aggressive shot.”

Though Borda’s ability to place a hard shot is a strong element of his game, it is his focused attention to every shot he takes that sets him apart.

“As good as he hits, he expects his best shot to come back,” Head Coach Bill Austin said. “You watch his body language, he never takes a shot off. He’s expecting that guy to get it and continue the point.”

The combination of mental preparation with his solid stroke game allows Borda to remain confident in his approach to each match.

“I’ve always had a natural ability in terms of being a clean striker of the ball harder than most people,” he said. “I’ve always mentally felt like I’ve had an advantage – like I should have success based on how I played and how I felt I played.”

During the offseason and summer Borda still dedicates himself to tennis. Between teaching tennis as an assistant instructor and family vacations to Maine, he always makes time to condition and work on his game.

“Off-court he is motivated, especially since he’s in the [first singles] spot. I have so much respect for him,” Rifkin said. “He’s working extremely hard, and I never see him give up. I always see him trying, he’s always pushing himself to perform the best.”

While his commitment is evident, Borda’s approach to taking every match point by point, shot by shot allows him to remain prepared for any situation.

“I try to focus and block everything else out — the score, the opponent,” Borda said. “I just focus on the ball and where I’m going to hit. I don’t really get too hard on myself and remain clearheaded and grounded.”

By preparing himself both mentally and physically, Borda is able to routinely win points for his team, giving the opposition little opportunity to score on him.

“He never gives his opponent any energy to work with or any visible sign that he could crack,” Austin said. “If you are going to beat him, you have to flat out outplay him, and that’s not easy to do.”