For Kate Fuller, tennis is more than just the execution of shots — it’s a mental warzone.

“The matches, like this weekend [against Georgia Tech], sometimes don’t necessarily have anything to do with skills,” she said. “I think it can be really mental. I was prepared for it to come down to me. I think my opponent was not necessarily looking forward to that pressure, that situation, but I was super excited to be in it.”

And that preparation has come from experience.

“Being a sophomore, I think I’ve experienced a little bit more,” she said. “You expect adversity.”

Sophomore Kate Fuller is an important member of Georgia's women's tennis team, as the Bulldogs rely on her optimistic attitude during tough matches. Fuller also serves as a 'big sister' to freshman doubles partner Lauren Herring, who have forged a close bond with each other both on and off of the tennis court. Evan stichler/Staff

So it goes for tennis players: Adversity can manifest itself in a positive attitude, or it can be suppressed and overpowered.

Fuller has no problem wrestling with the mental side of the game.

“I think [my positive attitude] helps me stay in a lot of matches,” she said. “If I’m not playing my best, a positive attitude in the mental side of the game is so powerful out on the tennis court. I feel like I’m able to fight back from behind or being down a set.”

And being down a set is exactly where she found herself at the match against Georgia Tech.

But for Fuller, that wasn’t the end of the road. It was just the beginning of a three-set journey.

“During the Tech match it was pretty tight,” she said. “After I got down 2-0 in the second set, I really had to tell myself to relax and play freer. I started playing my game and having fun out there and having a much more comfortable attitude and I really felt the match start to turn from that point on.”

Playing her game

Many players know it’s difficult to dominate every match from the first point onward.

“Tennis is a mental sport — sometimes you come out and you’re not playing your best, or you’re feeling a little tight or you’re not liking the way the match is going,” she said.

But what sets Fuller apart from other players is that she doesn’t let that feeling hinder her playing.

“You’ve got to have short-term memory, but you also have to learn from each point,” she said. “We’ve been doing a little bit of video after the weekend, so we’ve been trying to make a few adjustments. You’ve got to learn from mistakes and use those to improve as the season goes on — it’s a long season.”

She corrects each mistake and integrates the changes into her game almost simultaneously. When coupled with reading her opponent, these skills makes Fuller quite the adversary in her matches.

Doubles partner Lauren Herring said the positive attitude and quick integration keeps the doubles pair moving forward and positive, not harping on a bad play.

“We’re really working on making the right decisions on the court, but it’s more of, ‘If you don’t execute, then it’s alright — you’ll make it next time,’” Herring said. “Usually we’re really good about forgetting a bad shot and moving onto the next point — about staying up, being positive and looking at the bright side of things.”

And her hard work does not go unnoticed. In after-match interviews, head coach Jeff Wallace has had great things to say about her.

“Kate’s just done a great job,” Wallace told The Red & Black after Georgia Tech. “We always say great things happen to people who work hard. I was so impressed with how she came back after losing that first set — she was a little tight but she kept plugging away and having a good time.”

Wallace used a phrase at practice when talking to Fuller, and it seemed to resonate with her: Keep it simple.

“Keep it simple means keep it about tennis, stop overthinking,” she said. “It can be easy to overthink or doubt yourself, but you have to trust your shots and trust your game. You can’t overcomplicate things — it is a simple game. It can be a challenge and some matches can seem really difficult, but we just keep things simple with strategies and the way we play.”

Being one part of a whole

For Fuller, being a team member is more than just doing her part — it’s helping the other players do their parts as well.

“Kate’s kind of like the mother hen — she always has been,” Herring said. “She’s kind of like our big sister in a lot of ways. We’re good friends off-court and Kate’s such a positive person, so it translates to how we play — positive energy.”

The big sister role brings something special to Fuller’s game, as she shares her positive attitude and helps the other women incorporate it into their styles of play.

“After we lost our match to Tech, I was really upset about it,” Herring said. “But she came over to me and was like, ‘It’s going to be OK. Get it out of your mind. You can redeem yourself in singles — it’s a great opportunity.’ She’s really good about being there for you, making sure you’re in a good state of mind all the time. It’s great in our doubles because she does the exact same thing.”

Fuller’s positive attitude does not only span match-to-match, however. Even in the off-season, Fuller began to look forward to competition and opportunities to play the game she’s practiced.

“We all worked really hard over the fall, made certain changes to our games and worked on a lot of things in the off-season,” Fuller said. “I think each of us are anxious and excited to see those results and see how we grow over the season as a team. I think we’ve set ourselves up well for the season — we have a top 10 ranking and we have a lot of home matches, which is great. It’s going to come down to our heart in every match. There isn’t any limit on what we can do.”

And with no limits comes a decline in pressure for the team. For Herring and her teammates, the point of the season is to grow as a team and stay on top as much as possible.

“A lot of teams have outcome-based results and goals, but for us I want to see an improvement in how we’re playing and executing decisions,” she said. “Kate and I have a lot of potential, so if we’re doing those things right the results are definitely going to come. We can really do big things here at the University.”

Fuller echoes her partner’s sentiments.

No matter how the season turns, she wants to know she did her best.

But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to win.

“We want to go through the season with no regrets,” she said. “I want to work really hard each and every day so we do the best we can at NCAA here in our backyard. If we do everything the best we could and a team outplays us in the end, but we fought to the last point, then there’s nothing we can do. We’re doing well as a team and working together. We have a lot of talent and a lot of opportunities this season, but we’re looking forward to creating more opportunities for ourselves. We’re putting in the work and I think we can beat anyone who comes to play us.”