It is desired and strived for by so many, yet eludes those who practice and train to achieve it day in and day out.

Merriam-Webster cites it as being “free from fault or defect,” and “an exemplification of supreme excellence.”

“Perfection [for a tennis player] is the right combination of power and agility,” said Jamie Hunt of the Georgia men’s tennis team.

Ranked third in the country, sitting on a 16-2 record and chasing a third national championship in a row, the young men on the roster for the Bulldogs are from four different continents.

Their homes range geographically from the western hemisphere – from Oregon to Chile to Texas and Georgia – and stretch across the Atlantic to Spain and Kenya.

The athletes entered the timeless game of tennis for contrasting reasons, picking up bits and pieces of their now polished techniques from here and there to form their own individual, idiosyncratic styles of play.

So what would materialize if these eight varying styles of tennis were fused in a fashion that brought about “the perfect tennis player”?

“We all possess certain things that make us good for ourselves, but I’m not sure if our qualities would mesh well together or not,” said junior Nate Schnugg. “We’ve all just been playing tennis for so long that we’ve learned to deal with our strengths and our weaknesses.”

But what if those weaknesses were overlooked just for a moment in time to create a perfect tennis phenom?

Amidst matches and practices, head coach Manuel Diaz was asked to assemble this “perfect tennis player.”

Working with categories such as forehand, backhand, serve, footwork, intensity, mental toughness and heart, Diaz was extremely pensive throughout the process, starting with three or four of the Bulldogs in each category and gradually narrowing the field.

Noting admirable qualities in each of the Bulldogs, Diaz then designated an athlete to each category and ultimately formed his “perfect tennis player”.

But while extracting the strengths and attributions from each athlete to form “the perfect tennis player” would, in turn, create a sublime vision to witness on center court, reality rears its head, postulating the impossibility of this scenario.

The reality, instead, brings focus to what unequivocally makes the two-time defending national champions a perfect team. They are built from the ground up on a foundation of solid, unwavering belief. Sturdy at the core, the heart of the team is what keeps beating and pumping in matches, even when all other physical aspects of their games have crumbled out from underneath.

“We pour our hearts out there. We all go out there every match, and play as hard as we can,” said senior Josh Varela. “Without heart from everybody, we would not be nearly as successful as we are.”

During the assembly of “the perfect tennis player,” Diaz grappled with this crucial category.

Silent in thought with a look of uncertainty and pondering each athlete’s heart, he finally concluded that no one Bulldog was more worthy over the other for this category.

“All of our guys really play with great heart. I don’t know that I’d pick any of them over the other,” Diaz said. “Each and every one of our guys can really step up on any given day, and make a difference.”

As a team, the Bulldogs fight through adverse conditions, drawing strength from each other and carrying on no matter what transpires on the court. They stand firm within the foundation of their team and are a mentally and emotionally infallible structure.

“Where other teams may not believe, we still believe even if we’re down,” said sophomore Drake Bernstein. “We could lose the first set on every court and we still believe we’re going to win. We know that the person next to us is going to do his best to get through it. We believe in each other.”