By Joanna Chadwick

There’s a contagious joy oozing from Wichita West senior Pedro Trevizo when he talks about playing tennis.

He laughs as he remembers how he first met coach Tom Wilcox when his soccer ball went over the fence and onto the tennis courts, only to have Wilcox convince him to play tennis.

“I was launching the ball over the fence when I first started playing tennis,” Trevizo said with a laugh. “But in my mind, I was going to conquer this game and enjoy it.

“I put in the work.”

Trevizo is playing in the Class 6A tournament for the third straight season, this time in singles with a 12-3 recored.

“I’d get up, eat breakfast and practice all day,” he said. “I got better and better and better. I got to play with more people.”

He played at McAdams Park during the summer, playing with adults, including some college athletes.

“Everybody thinks tennis, you just hit the ball back and forth, but it requires a lot of skill,” Trevizo said. “I laugh at that. I’ve played the sport and I see how it needs skill, how it needs mental strength.”

Wilcox has loved coaching Trevizo.

“What makes Pedro Trevizo stand out is his passion for tennis,” Wilcox said. “The fun he has during matches has generated positive comments by parents, and Pedro has earned the respect of his tennis peers. IT has been a blessing coaching this young man.”

Trevizo has a first-round bye on Friday at Topeka’s Kossover Center because he finished second in regionals.

“Last year my brother asked me to play doubles with him, and it was a really fun experience, and I loved it,” Trevizo said.

“This year has been fantastic…. Having the talent to have fun in tennis, to not be mad at it. I love the sport, and it shows on the court. Usually in my body language you see — I smile whenever I play tennis.”

Even when it got tough in a loss during the City League tournament, he was OK.

“It was fun,” Trevizo said. “I might have lost, but I loved it so much. Having the experience made me so happy to go out and see where I can improve.

He got in a practice round on Thursday night and knows he needs to focus more on his volleys and his serves.

Trevizo isn’t sure what his future holds. He graduates on Monday and he’s considering looking for work on fork liflts, maybe going to college in a year.

“I see tennis as more of a hobby in my future,” he said. “If I went to college to play tennis, though, I would enjoy it.”