Whether she’s hitting a soaring serve or ducking to bat a ball, Oak Park High School girls tennis senior captain Amilya Chapovsky is a dynamic player who balances natural talent with long-earned skill. 

“I started playing when I was around seven or eight years old,” Chapovsky said. “I think I was just playing for fun, and then I started taking some private lessons. In middle school, I took a break for a few months, but then once I graduated and started high school, I started playing again.” 

Chapovsky made varsity her freshman year, and has been steadily improving since. Like many other players, upon joining the team, there was a learning curve to adjust to playing doubles. 

“It was definitely interesting for me freshman year, especially since my first partner was a senior,” Chapovsky said. “So every single year since then, I’ve been switching partners, and it definitely requires some commitment to being able to change partners and to learn how to play with different people.”

Something Chapovsky initially struggled with is an anxiety not exclusive to sports: being watched by an audience. 

“I remember when I started playing, when people were watching me play, I was getting really nervous,” Chapovsky said. “Sometimes I was switching back to having good days and bad days, getting angry at myself.”

Still, over the past four years, Chapovsky has grown immensely, learning to deal with the complex mental aspect of the game. 

“It definitely requires a really tough mentality to just let everything disappear around you, only focus on the ball and just play your best,” Chapovsky said. “Once I start playing and I get used to it, it’s kind of like me versus myself. So I definitely do have to coordinate with my own mind to play the best possible way.”