Ohio State junior John McNally waits for a serve. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State men’s tennis returns to the court in an unusual location.
The Buckeyes enter the season ranked No. 6 according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association – Ohio State’s lowest ranking in four years.
“I’m actually pretty excited to see what happens because the last few years we went into the season knowing we were one of the big dogs,” junior John McNally said.
The Buckeye’s biggest question marks regarding the upcoming season come from the loss of important players such as former No. 1 JJ Wolf and two-time 2018 All-Americans Martin Joyce and Hunter Tubert.
The young roster also raises questions. Ohio State has just one senior, Kyle Seelig, and five freshmen, including No. 16 Cannon Kingsley.
“A young team is both positive and negative,” McNally said. “A negative because they are inexperienced in college tennis, and college tennis is different from normal tennis. Sometimes we find ourselves facing 25-year-olds from different countries. The positive thing, though, is that they come in with a fresh mind and look forward to being here every day. The sky is the limit for this team.
Ohio State has four players ranked in the top 40 in singles, and freshmen Robert Cash and McNally make up the nation’s No. 2 doubles pair.
The Buckeyes may have lost four players, but they brought in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country.
“We think they’re the best in the country,” head coach Ty Tucker said. “We think Justin Boulais and Cannon Kingsley are among the top 25 in the country every day.”
Ohio State will have a chance to establish its identity early in the season, with games against No. 2 defending national champion Texas, No. 3 USC and No. 25 Arizona State .
The Buckeyes have won 14 straight Big Ten regular-season titles and entered last year’s NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed.
The team has high expectations for this season.
“Our goal is always to win a Big Ten title and a national championship, and that’s what we’re going to try to do this year,” Seelig said. “For me, it’s my senior year and I’m the only senior. It’s a new experience knowing that this is my last chance to play for the Buckeyes, and every game is very important to me.
McNally, ranked 24th in singles, is a player to watch this season. He won the singles and doubles titles at the ITA Midwest Regional Championship in 2019.
“In the fall I didn’t really live up to my expectations, I had some mental problems, but now I’m healthy and in good mental and physical health. I’m enjoying tennis again and I just finished a good tournament and I have some confidence,” McNally said.
McNally went undefeated in conference play last year and helped the Buckeyes reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament with a singles victory over Columbia junior Jack Lin, who is ranked No. 22 in singles.
“I can’t wait to show my coaches and the rest of the country that I can play and try to live up to JJ and (Mikael Torpegaard),” McNally said.
McNally and the young Buckeyes begin indoor play Wednesday against Northern Kentucky and Dayton.
