Hendrickson is named area's top tennis player

HIBBING—After six successful but stressful wrestling seasons, Cooper Hendrickson needed a sport to unwind.

Hendrickson tried to get into soccer, but that didn’t work out.

That led Hendrickson into the next-best thing—tennis.

Hendrickson made the most out of that opportunity by becoming Hibbing’s No. 1 singles player. He also advanced to the state meet three years in a row in doubles.

For that, Hendrickson has been named the Mesabi Tribune and Herald Review Tennis Player of the Year.

Bluejacket coach Gary Conda never had any doubt that Hendrickson would be a successful player.

“Cooper was always an athletic, strong kid,” Conda said. “I thought he was built like a linebacker in football, but I always saw the potential in Cooper. I could tell he was fast. It was just a matter of getting better hands, and hitting more tennis balls.

“I didn’t see that at first, but he sure proved me wrong. His athleticism, we could see that.”

For Hendrickson, it was the right sport at the right time of the year.

“It was nice, especially coming off a stressful wrestling season,” Hendrickson said. “I wanted to go out there and have fun. Wrestling puts a lot of stress on the body. It’s a lot of painful conditioning and being flexible.

“The whole mental part of it is tough. With tennis, I enjoyed myself. I didn’t have to push my body that hard. I was already in shape from wrestling, so it was easy. I did it for me.”

At times, Hendrickson was too strong on the court.

“He had a lot of strength, so there was some hindrance in trying to muscle the ball over the net instead of staying relaxed,” Conda said. “He was too strong at times. You want to be flexible because you need that acceleration.

“Sometimes, his muscles would get too tight so there was less acceleration. He had to learn how to stay relaxed. You want strength, but you need relaxed motion. It’s all about timing.”

Hendrickson had to be reminded about that daily.

“I heard it from Gary quite often to quit lifting weights,” Hendrickson said. “I was trying to muscle the ball too much. I wasn’t going to give up weightlifting, so I had to adapt. I learned to hit the ball with all of my muscles.

“I had good matches, but I had some matches where I was pushing the ball more. It turned out to be simple. You do everything without forcing the ball. When you play a relaxed game, it’s so much easier. I figured it out, but it was off and on.”

By his freshman year, Hendrickson was playing some third and fourth singles, but Conda knew there was more in store for him.

“I knew, eventually, he would be playing one singles before he was done,” Conda said. “It was about him moving forward and coming to the net more. He needed to develop a net game. That’s why his doubles game got better and better because his net game improved.

“He never got to the point where he was a consistent baseline player, so that’s why doubles came more naturally for him. It also helped to have a big serve, too. That’s why he ended up being one of our better players.”

So good that Hendrickson advanced to state three times in doubles.

In wrestling, in tough weight classes, he advanced twice.

“I was surprised about that,” Hendrickson said. “I put so much into wrestling that I thought I’d get more out of it, but I got more out of tennis. That feels good. It was a big accomplishment to go three years in a row.”

But Hendrickson still has one love.

“Definitely wrestling,” Hendrickson said. “I can play tennis every day, but I want to get back into wrestling and get back into the room.”

Joining Hendrickson on the team are his teammates Jack Gabardi, Isaiah Hildenbrand and Keaton Petrick; and Rock Ridge’s Payton Marks, Kasey Lamppa, Peyton Bialke, Dawson Ruedebusch and Rory Cope-Robinson.