Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague
 
It’s safe to say that Ray Fan and Tom Battaglia had a meeting of the minds when Battaglia became the head men’s tennis coach at Rutgers-Newark last year and inherited Fan as his No. 1 singles player.
 
You see, Fan and Battaglia didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye on a number of things.
 
“He was slow to come around,” Battaglia said. “He wouldn’t come to practice regularly. He said he had class or homework or something.”
 
“I was discouraged,” said Fan, now a junior on the R-N squad. “I was out of shape.”
 
So to begin the 2017 season, Battaglia brought in junior transfer Brandon Davis to become the Scarlet Raiders’ first singles player, moving Fan to second singles.
 
Battaglia thinks the shift worked wonders for Fan.
 
“I think he’s more relaxed now,” Battaglia said. “I think the pressure is not on him anymore. I think there were a lot of unspoken words. Maybe it took him a while to get more comfortable with me. He was never disrespectful or anything. He was never out of line. We just didn’t agree on some things.”
 
Now, Fan is a changed man. He comes to practice on a regular basis.
 
“Playing tennis is mostly about repetition,” Fan said. “If I play a lot, then I can get better from there. I liked playing first singles, but now I’m playing at a slower pace. If it means the team is better because I’m playing at a lower position, then I’m all for it. It means we’re stronger and we’re winning more. I’m not upset at all.”
 
Fan said that he knew he was going to have a good year after doing well at the Mercer County Tournament and the Cryan Tournament, both of which are held during the summer months.
 
“It got me ready for this year,” Fan said. “Especially for doubles (where Fan is paired with Davis on first doubles). I got the fundamentals down that I lost.”
 
Fan knows the key to his success.
 
“If I can get my first service in, then I’m guaranteed to have a good day,” Fan said. “I’ve been working on that a lot. Because it’s my third year, I think I’m playing with a little more urgency. I want to get good results this year. We’re trying to have a good season.”
 
The Scarlet Raiders own a 5-4 record overall and 0-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.
Battaglia can see the obvious change in Fan and his team.
 
“Ray is very fun loving,” Battaglia said. “He’s very relaxed now. Ray goes out there and hits the ball 100 percent every single time. He whacks the ball around. I think since the pressure isn’t on him, he’s opened up his game more.”
 
Battaglia wonders why Fan was struggling for so long.
 
“I think I can attribute a little to maturity and a little to having a new coach,” Battaglia said. “It was a big adjustment for Ray. He was thrown into the limelight as the No. 1 singles. I don’t think he was ready for that. He’s taken to being No. 2 very well. He’s a total team player now.”
 
Fan is majoring in finance with a minor in computer science. He hopes to combine both fields of study in a field known as business intelligence. It certainly sounds interesting.
 
“I’m real happy with the way things are going now,” Fan said. “We’re a stronger team. I came in prepared this season. I came in much better shape. I feel like I’m a much better tennis player.”
 
“We’re trying to do something special here,” Battaglia said. “I think Ray understands that now.”