After playing together for two years, junior Jason Hazley and senior Bryan Fisher have established themselves as one of the elite doubles teams in the nation.
Coach Jeff Brown said there are certain things needed in a good doubles combination.
“It can be [two people that balance each other out],” Brown said. “Or it could be, for example our No. 3 [team]. They’re both left-handed and that presents problems for a lot of teams that play No.3. It can be chemistry, but a lot of times it’s who’s game styles match up the best.”
The duo of Hazley and Fisher is ranked No. 18 in the nation with a 19-10 record, and Brown said the combination of their game styles makes them a good team.
“Bryan’s got a big serving volley style and he brings that into the doubles,” Brown said. “Jason’s got a big game, but it’s a little bit more consistency with a little more top-spin. And their chemistry also is a key, Jason’s a little more fired up as a player and Bryan’s a little bit more quiet, so in the doubles competition Jason brings a little more intensity while Fisher has more of a calming effect, which is good also for Jason.”
Hazley said Fisher is a good player.
“He serves well and he’s constantly backing me up at the net,” Hazley said. “He naturally moves to the ball well. If the ball goes up and he’s got to get back, he’s great at getting back and getting the overhand winners.”
Fisher said playing with Hazley worked out from the first time they played together at the Southeastern Conference Tournament two years ago.
“The first time we played together we won at SECs, so from then on we clicked and we’ve stayed together,” Fisher said.
Hazley said winning that doubles championship with Fisher is his favorite memory.
“[My favorite memory is] when me and Fish won SEC Indoor doubles because we can always look back and say we were SEC champs,” Hazley said.
Brown said Hazley is fiery on the court while Fisher is quiet.
“After he wins a big point, he’ll let the other team know he’s there. He’s fighting,” Brown said. “He’ll let out a big yell, or ‘Go Tigers’ or ‘Come on,’ whereas Fisher will win a point and you wouldn’t know whether he won or lost it sometimes because he’ll be quiet and goes about his business; and that’s just their styles. That’s what makes them a good combination.”
Brown said that when Hazley and Fisher step on the court, they usually will win.
“Well, usually they’re going to go out there and a high percentage of the time, they’re going to win,” Brown said.
Brown said playing doubles establishes a sense of teamwork in an individual sport.
“A lot of the guys didn’t play on basketball teams and tennis is an individual sports and doubles brings them into a little bit of a team atmosphere which I think is good for them to understand and respect,” Brown said.
Fisher said he likes playing doubles because of the teamwork involved.
“I like playing team sports so playing doubles, you have someone out there with you and it’s a battle and a little more fun for me,” Fisher said. “I played quarterback in football and shooting guard in basketball so it’s kind of ironic that I chose to play an individual sport. Playing doubles gives that sense of teamwork.”
Brown said the most impressive thing about Hazley and Fisher is that they can get out of slumps.
“They’ve had big wins, but they’ve also had some times when they haven’t played as well,” Brown said. “But they’ve been able to bring it back out of that slump and into another high level, and that’s the hardest thing to do when you’re playing with another person, it’s hard to play two years with the same person without driving each other crazy.”