.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Senior Duo Leaves Legacy
4/2/2009 | Men's Tennis
By Kim Ling
Associate Athletics Media Relations Director
Great competitor. Outstanding ambassador. Tremendous student-athlete. Excellent work ethic. Leadership. Champion. These words describe this year’s Ole Miss men’s tennis senior class.
This duo’s impressive credentials include four SEC West titles, an overall SEC Championship, an SEC Tournament Championship, an NCAA Final Four, an NCAA Elite Eight and two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances. Their careers may be winding down, but these two will long be remembered for excellence on and off the court.
A native of
“Not only from a personal stand point, but to come back and clinch the victory for my team, that was huge, because I was a freshman,” ten Berge said. “Even before that, to get the doubles point, with Erling (Tveit) and Freddy (Aarum) winning 14-12 in the tiebreaker was huge. It was such a huge match-up in the quarterfinals, and to make it to the Final Four was just crazy. That was probably the most fun I have had in a winning match.”
It seems like only yesterday that it was the spring of 2007, when Jonas Berg became one of the latest in a long line of Swedish standouts to grace the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Courts. It didn’t take long either, for him to become a fan favorite. In his first year with the Rebels, the Helsingborg,
“We had a great team last year, and we felt we could have won the SEC Championship,” Berg said. “We didn’t, and to come through and win the SEC Tournament with myself as the MVP was pretty amazing.”
Both players say they have enjoyed being part of an outstanding program that provides the opportunity to compete against the best and win championships.
“It’s been great to get the opportunity to play for an SEC title and to have a good enough team to have a shot at the national title as well,” Berg said.
“To be a part of such a successful program is something you get used to,” ten Berge added. “It sounds kind of arrogant in a way, but we strive to be great every year, we recruit to be great and we work hard to be great. It’s a championship mentality. It is more fun to win than lose.”
Berg and ten Berge have provided great leadership for a young team this season, and it’s paying big dividends so far.
The Rebels enter their final home weekend ranked No. 2 in the nation with a 16-2 overall record, 6-0 in the SEC. They have defeated six straight top 25 teams in the league.
“This season the key was to get off to a good start against
“This year is a special team, because we have great team bonding, and I think we all buy into the hard work that needs to be done,” ten Berge added. ”I really feel like this year every single person has contributed and understands what it takes to win a championship. The results show that.”
By everyone, ten Berge alludes to junior Kalle Norberg, sophomore Tucker Vorster and the four freshmen on the team, who have already made a major contribution. After graduating four seniors from last year’s Elite Eight team everyone associated with the program wondered what this year’s team would accomplish.
Highly touted
“Devin obviously made a name for himself internationally in juniors,” ten Berge noted. “I didn’t know Chris (Thiemann) and Marcel before, but they are good players. They are beating players who are good and who have been in college tennis for awhile. They are getting adjusted to the whole thing, and I think we (Jonas and I) are playing a good part in helping them get adjusted.”
One of the adjustments the freshmen have had to get used to is the crowd support. Berg and ten Berge have become accustomed to playing in front of a packed tennis center and say they love it.
“We have a great following, and that is a big part of our success,” ten Berge said. “I have only lost two matches at home in my entire career in singles. It gives you that much more support and gives you a secure feeling. I think they know that they are a big part of our success. We know that they are. As long as we are successful and being fired up on the court it stays fun for them too.”
Berg, who will graduate in June with a degree in business, is known for being a fiery competitor who likes to pump the crowd up.
“I want them (the fans) to remember me as a guy with a lot of fighting spirit. A guy that worked hard for his team and always gave everything on the court.”
ten Berge will go down as one of the greatest student-athletes in the history of Ole Miss. Besides being an All-American and All-SEC performer, the classics major boasts an outstanding resume’ in the classroom. Last year he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and this year he is a finalist for the SEC’s Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year. ten Berge is a four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and was the 2006 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men’s tennis.
ten Berge said he is not exactly sure what he wants to do in the future, but his immediate plans include going to graduate school.
“I am going to graduate school in the fall, but I have not made a decision where yet. I am considering sticking to classics and perhaps becoming a professor. I am not exactly sure of my future plans after school, but I am thinking about getting my PhD. From there I will see what happens, but there are many opportunities in this country.”
Before any of that, there is more tennis to be played, an SEC Championship on the line and perhaps a national title.
