By Andew Hornback

While the University of Louisville men’s tennis team will face what head coach Rex Ecarma says is the toughest schedule in team history, the team is made of two separate groups.
One, the class of 2007, referred to as the Fab 4 by Ecarma, is comprised of Austen Childs, Simon Childs, Viktor Maksimcuk and Alejandro Calligari.
“They go by the Fab 4, not the class of ’07,” Ecarma said. “They’ve proven themselves and earned their identity.”
The second group is the sophomore class, which was ranked in the Top 25 by tennisrecruiting.net last season.
“The sophomores are still referred to as the ‘08’s until they prove themselves and find their identity this fall,” Ecarma said. “They were a great supporting class as freshmen last year and helped us get into the Top 25. It is a great thing they could help solidify the lineup as sophomores, but again, they still want to prove themselves.”
The sophomore class’ quest to become recognized by their coach in the same manner as the Fab 4 began this summer.
“The ‘08’s are a very solid class. We just came in raw and with not as much experience playing top caliber players in junior tennis,” sophomore Robert Hall said. “We are finally starting to prove what we can do on the court by getting used to that bigger ball. I expect to see big results from us this fall and spring, because all the extra work we have done this summer that nobody else has.”
Sophomore Andrew Carter, who posted a 25-10 record as a freshman, was one of the ‘08’s who competed in the International Tennis Association’s summer circuit, winning the Southeast Regional.
“We have grown so much,” said Carter. “We just need to show it now. We’re doing big things this year and are going to show we can help lead this team.”
When play begins later in the month for the Cards, the passionate ‘08’s will definitely have the opportunity to prove they are capable of Carter’s ambitions.
“They are a very vocal, talkative group on the court,” Ecarma said. “They are more fiery on the court than the Fab 4. The Fab 4 are silent assassins. The thing is sometimes the ‘08’s just talk. I want them to be more like Terrence Williams and do the talking and backing it up. And they have to prove they can do that.”
As for the schedule, Ecarma is looking to challenge his players, because he knows they are up for it.
“I’m an ambitious coach and I have ambitious players,” Ecarma said. “If I give them the same challenge, that’s just meeting the status quo. We’re trying to go above the status quo.”
The Fab 4, the ‘08’s and Ecarma will begin the season later this month at the Louisville Fall Invitational.