BADGERING...
BILLY BERTHA
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Senior team captain Billy Bertha has been a force for UW for the past four years. The Whitefish Bay, Wis.,
native holds a 54-59 singles record and a dominating 69-37 doubles record during his time at Wisconsin.
This year, Bertha paired with Alexander Kostanov to record a 9-8 doubles mark, including victories over
two nationally-ranked duos. This weekend, Bertha and Kostanov will celebrate their final matches at Nielsen
Tennis Stadium as the Badgers commemorate Senior Day on Sunday against Nebraska.
As the only team member from Wisconsin, what is it like to represent your home state?
"It's huge, I picked Wisconsin over a couple other Big Ten schools. I think my dad and mom had a little input
on it. They were both alumni from here, so they were kind of pushing me towards it. It's been a great four
years and I have no regrets, it's been awesome."
What has the experience been like having four freshmen on the team this year?
"Those guys come from overseas so it's cool to be almost like a big brother to them. I've been here for four
years so I know the lay of the land. Getting them accustomed to the university, college tennis and life in
America in general is a good experience for me. I hope I've been able to teach them a couple things."
What is your best memory from your time at Wisconsin?
"The highlight of my Badger career has been when we made it to the Sweet 16 my freshman year. I clinched
the match going forward there. We were on the road at Illinois in a pretty hostile environment and getting it
done there was pretty cool. It was the first time in school history for our team so it was awesome."
Will you be continuing with tennis next year?
"I will be taking classes all of next year, so no tennis. It's going to be weird losing that competition every day
in practice and matches, but it will be nice to move on and get started on a new phase of my life."
26 » VARSITY
APR I L 18, 2013