Adjusting to Success
An Unexpected Decision Has Paid off for Tulane's Mattias Westerberg
By John Sudsbury
Mattias Westerberg has tackled language barriers, a change of styles and his own mindset en route to success for the Green Wave men's tennis program; but the junior from Lulea, Sweden, nearly gave up competitive tennis before making an unplanned move to the United States.
While pondering his future and playing tennis a couple of times a week, playing collegiate tennis was not an option.
Enter Robert Klein. The Tulane University men's coach had heard about a speedy right-handed player on the Swedish junior circuit. Despite the fact the player had undergone elbow surgery and essentially given up competitive tennis, Klein was intrigued.
"I was in Sweden and checking the Swedish Junior Rankings and this guy's name kept popping up in the top 10," Klein said. "I was thinking people did not know him because he was so far north."
The Green Wave mentor tracked his recruit down in the north country of Sweden and made his pitch in hopes of landing another piece of a championship team.
"Coach [Klein] called me in October of 1999 and asked me if I wanted to play," Westerberg remembered. "I don't even know how he found my number. I didn't expect to come to the States; that was never in my plans. But I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn a new language and see a new culture."
Less than three months later, Westerberg departed the subzero temperatures of his native Sweden for the heat and humidity of New Orleans, joining the Green Wave tennis program in the spring of 2000.
"My first reaction to New Orleans was that it was very humid," Westerberg said. "When I came [in January of 2000] it was around 80 degrees in New Orleans and where I am from it is like minus 20. Lulea [his hometown] is just an hour south of the Arctic Circle."
Not only did he have to adjust to the climate changes, but the Swedish language was replaced with English, a tongue he had not practiced regularly in nearly 10 years.
"In Sweden, we study English until we are about 10 years old," Westerberg explained. "But studying it in a classroom is much different than actually speaking a language. I understood pretty much everything, but I was not that confident speaking. It was a little bit difficult taking notes at first, sometimes I had to put them in Swedish."
The difficulty with the language did not take its toll on his classwork, however. Westerberg earned Dean's List honors in his first semester in the Freeman School of Business.
While dealing with climate shock and language difficulties, the 20-year old managed to post a 9-8 record for the Wave. Tulane posted a 15-11 overall mark and finished third in Conference USA. With Westerberg playing primarily at fifth-flight singles, the Green Wave also made its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
"Mattias was a consistent performer in singles as a freshman," Klein said. "There has never been a lack of desire or commitment to winning."
As a sophomore, Westerberg settled into his role as a tennis player, continuing to adjust to another change that came with the move to the United States and collegiate tennis - the game itself.
"It is a different style of play and it is also a different surface," Westerberg said. "We play mostly on clay [in Sweden] in the summers and during the winter we play indoors on a fast carpet. I think it takes a while for anyone to get used to it."
One of the harder working players on the team, Westerberg was still not getting the desired on-court results. Playing at numbers five and six singles, he posted a 12-11 record last year. He was critical in the Wave's run to the Conference USA Championship though, as he went undefeated in singles and doubles with wins over Memphis and Charlotte. He teamed with Goran Vasiljevic for a doubles victory against South Florida in the league championship match.
"Mattias filled an important role for us last year," Klein said. "But he did not have the results we were looking for. The results we wanted last year have come this year. In fact, he has exceeded all expectations this year."
Westerberg won nine of his first 10 decisions this spring. Playing at his highest position in the lineup ever (No. 3), he has used confidence and strong ground strokes and control to complement his speed on the court.
"He is stubborn and driven," Klein continued. "His stubbornness may have held him back at times last year, now it is his biggest asset. His opponents look at him and know that they may beat him, but they will have an outright war."
Now a 22-year old first-semester junior, Westerberg attributes his success to one word.
"Confidence. It is not that I am doing that much differently. I feel confident in what I am doing and I believe that I can win every time I go on the court. Last year, when we would play a good team, I would think, 'This will be tough.' Now I am ready to win."
He has also harnessed his own emotions, which has not helped just his game, but the entire team.
"He has realized that how he handles himself emotionally affects our entire team," Klein said.
"It is a lot of pressure," Westerberg said of his impact on his teammates. "You have to not only take care of yourself, but also, if I behave badly or if I get upset, that might transfer to my teammates."
"Mattias has always worked hard," teammate Michael Kogan said. "Last year, he may not have seen the results, but now everyone is seeing them and the rest of the team sees how it is possible to improve through hard work. I could not be more happy for Mattias."
In a couple years, that work ethic will be a huge asset to Westerberg, who hopes to work in the United States in marketing or finance after graduation.
"I am very happy I came to Tulane," he said. "I had nothing to lose and I gained an education and a new culture."
Westerberg's presence has been a big gain for Coach Klein and the rest of the Green Wave team, who have a hard-working teammate playing at his best as they look to repeat as Conference USA Champions and take aim at a sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.