Tennis is a mental game as much as physical, and Advait Jadhav has embraced that ahead of his first state appearance.

After an 11-2 season and cruising through regionals, Jadhav will be making his first state tournament appearance Thursday when he faces Mountain Vista’s Josh Hoefs in No. 2 singles at Denver Tennis Park.

The freshman is no stranger to big competition, having played tennis since he was 6 and competes year round all over the country.

While his skills and playing ability have grown, his biggest area of growth has been his mentality.

“I’ve improved in mental resilience,” Jadhav said. “That I can bounce back from anywhere. When I don’t get a good assignment or something, I’m not as stressed. I know what things I have to do to improve on it. It’s helped with my work ethic, calmness off the court, how ready I am for things, and mainly my confidence. It makes me believe in myself.”

“Advait has grown leaps and bounds this year, and his attitude has been so great,” Eagles coach Jason Warkentine said. “We have worked on it all season. He plays a lot older than a freshman.”

This week’s Gazette Preps Peak Performer was first introduced to tennis by his dad, Sujit Jadhav, who had him try out badminton, which the young Jadhav immediately liked. Soon after, tennis became his life, and his father still coaches him today.

“My dad just inferred I like tennis,” Jadhav said. “We went to one of the public courts by Garden of the Gods, and I just picked up a Walmart racket and started hitting. It was really fun. After a few shanks, I really liked it. I’ve been playing since.”

Jadhav recalls his earliest tournaments, and his first losses have stuck with him. His first tournament, he remembers placing third, and in his second, he placed second.

Those “losses” were the first to teach him how to handle losing , which has since allowed him to enjoy the sport more.

“There was this time when I was winning well and I lost to a lower-ranked player I should have beaten, and I had a bad attitude on the court,” Jadhav recalls. “My parents were disappointed that I didn’t fight longer and give it my all. That was the first low point in my career. I took a one-week break and came back much better and won a streak of tournaments. I kept on winning.

“I mentally became much more resilient. After that, when I did lose to lower-ranked players, I always bounced back further. I know it’s not over till it’s over.”

With years of traveling alone to tournaments, Advait has embraced being part of the Eagles’ team. Having played on the Pine Creek courts since he was a kid, playing high school tennis has strengthened Jadhav on the court.

“Everyone is so supportive and kind, and whether I’m losing or winning, they will support me,” Jadhav said. “It improves your mental strength here. When you’re losing, you can’t give up, or your whole team will come down with you. There’s more pressure, but it’s also good. You don’t want to let them down.”

“This is a family,” Warkentine said. “We want to have fun first. Winning is secondary, we want to go out and have fun. We want to look forward to practice every day. We want to look forward to our matches. We want to smile and have fun and root on our teammates and play the best tennis we can.”

At state, Jadhav will be joined by teammate Braylon Desquitado, who will be competing in No. 1 singles, and the duo of Trevor Frush and Aaron Ugemuge in No. 4 doubles.

“We are happy with the bracket, but regardless of where they are seeded, I expect them to go out there and hit the ball,” Warkentine said. “I tell them it doesn’t matter because you will have to play them eventually, so let’s beat them now.”

Jadhav’s goal is to win state, but at the same time, he is always seeking improvement, no matter win or lose.

“I’m still going with the same mentality, always to win, and putting my best foot forward no matter who I’m playing,” Jadhav said. “To prove myself every time. Putting in hard work and seeing it shine in a match is always great to see. A great match will keep you going. Brings the best out of you on the court. It’s like coal turning into diamonds.”