Tennis has been a lifelong sport for Sofia DaSilva-Askew

ARHS sophomore Sofia DaSilva-Askew has been playing tennis since she was four years old. “My sister was originally supposed to play but I got more into it,” she said. “ I remember winning my first match and then knowing the sport was for me.” 

Now at the age 16, she practices every day with her coach Art Carrington. “I also play for the high school team. And I play for USTA, the United States Tennis Association,” she said. “I met Carrington briefly when I was four but didn’t start working with him until I was seven.” 

During practices with Carrington, her workout includes nunchucks, ribbons, and whips, which help her with hand control. 

The DaSilva-Askew family is a big support to her as well.  “My dad helps coach me and we do workout drills every night at our house, while my mom helps me sign up for tournaments.” 

Her record last season for ARHS was 16-4. “The difference in playing for the high school is it’s just for my school, and it’s not as stressful for me. USTA helps me get into college and recruiters look at my points in USTA,” she said. “Having a team with me is fun, but if I win and everyone else loses we lose as a team. When I play for myself, [the score reflects how I’m doing].”

One of DaSilva-Askew’s goals is to go long-term with her tennis career. “I would really like to go to LSU, Syracuse, or UMass as they all have great tennis programs,” she said. “All these schools are great in education as well as sports and my coach’s granddaughters played for LSU.”

A teaching moment for DaSilva-Askew was her matches against Longmeadow. “The first one was tough but I pushed through and won,” she said. “The second one was really hard for me. I got really upset. I was up in the match and then she just started beating me. I made a scene and got in my head which caused me to lose to her the second time.” 

DaSilva-Askew loves the sport because she can play individually and not have to rely on a team but she said playing singles is mentally taxing as well. “Sometimes I’m in my head too much and way too hard on myself,” she said.

One of DaSilva-Askew’s favorite games she played was during the high school season, against Minnechaug. “I had grown up with the girl I was playing against and she was like a role model to me,” she said. “I got a lot of good shots in but she beat me. It was still a super fun game for me to play, though.“