Sebastian Carlsson spent the last week and a half watching the Australian Open, pondering what it’s like to be professional tennis superstar Roger Federer. Carlsson, a junior on the No. 29 LSU men’s tennis team, has spent the last six months perfecting his game in a quest to emulate his childhood idol. ‘ Carlsson only sports a No. 97 singles ranking, but a laundry list of people think he is among the top singles players in the country and ready to burst onto the tennis scene similarly to Federer’s start to professional dominance in 2003. His coaches, teammates and the entire LSU tennis family are waiting on one thing – his breakthrough. ‘This year he’s starting to step up as one of the top players in the country,’ said LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan. ‘He’s definitely going to hold his own.’ The Uppsala, Sweden, native received a wake-up call last summer when the Tigers lost their top two singles players – Michael Venus and James Cluskey. Carlsson, who spent his first two seasons playing in the No. 3 to No. 6 singles spots, had it etched in his brain he would have to full the void left by Venus and Cluskey for the team to succeed. ‘He took the fall a little more to heart and ‘hellip;’ got the confidence that he needed to get to play higher in the lineup and win,’ said LSU coach Jeff Brown. Carlsson’s determination and hard work paid off, as he was named a co-captain with fellow junior Cody Loup. ‘It’s a pretty big honor,’ Carlsson said of being a co-captain. ‘I hope the guys can look up to me and use me as an example as someone who works hard.’ Sophomore Neal Skupski reiterated Carlsson is a perfect team leader. ‘He’s always there for you when you need him – he’s a good friend,’ Skupski said. ‘If you need something, he’ll do it for you.’ Carlsson put all the pieces together last fall, putting together a 7-2 singles record and a team-best .778 winning percentage. He won the South Florida Invitational singles title in early November and defeated then-No. 10 Saketh Myneni of Alabama in the second round of the ITA South Regional before being ousted in the semifinals. ‘I don’t know if he saw himself as one of the top 15 players when he first came [to LSU],’ Brown said. ‘But having been around it for a couple years, I think he understands he is at that level.’ The Tigers have yet to participate in their first dual match of the season, but Carlsson has had his fair share of competitive battles with some of the nation’s best. He came two points away from upsetting No. 5 Dimitar Kutrovsky of Texas on Jan. 8 at the Key Biscayne Invitational and dropped a three-set thriller last weekend to No. 2 J.P. Smith of Tennessee, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3, at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships. ‘It’s kind of a big step to play at No. 1 or No. 2, so I see it more as a challenge than pressure,’ Carlsson said of his increased role with the team. ‘I feel like I can compete with the best guys in the country.’ Tennis isn’t the only thing to come relatively easy for ‘Seb,’ as his teammates and coaches like to call him. He has been equally effective in the classroom, regularly posting a 4.0 GPA each semester, as well as being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and an ITA scholar-athlete. Carlsson’s progression on and off the court has given Brown a ‘gratifying’ feeling as a coach. ‘It’s something you feel you want to get out of these guys so they don’t leave with any regrets,’ Brown said. —- Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]