The wait for Oregon senior Chris King is over.
After four long years, 98 singles and 78 doubles matches at Oregon, King will see a program participate in the NCAA Tournament that previously went 8-13 in his first season and never won a Pacific-10 Conference match until this year.
“Honestly, I was shocked to hear we made it,” King said. “Usually this time of year we are done, even though we feel like we should still be playing. I thought it was going to be the same this year.”
As the team’s lone senior, King has watched the program grow under the direction of head coach Chris Russell. It has gone from a team seen as an easy win to a team seen as one that will give any other in the country a tough match, especially after their upset victories over No. 23 Washington and No. 34 Arizona State this season.
“This is the best team we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,” King said. “In the past we would have a couple guys that would keep to themselves, but this year were tightly knitted and everybody hangs out.”
Russell, who has dealt with the frustrations of the past four years along with King, feels good about getting his senior a chance to be in the tournament.
“He’s heard us talk about making it here for so long,” Russell said. “I don’t think there’s a greater gift this team can give him than this and hopefully we can give him more.”
Before he set foot on a court in Oregon, King’s tennis journey began in Salinas, Calif., where he was ranked in the top five among all Northern California junior players.
“I started playing when I was five, but I started really playing competitively when I was 14,” King said.
King ended his junior tennis career by winning back-to-back singles championships at the Central Coast Section Boys Tennis Championships in 1999 and 2000.
King then came to Eugene in the fall of 2000 and compiled an 8-8 singles record as a freshman.
There wasn’t any sophomore slump for King, as he compiled one of the best seasons in Oregon men’s tennis history by going 23-10. His 23-win season ranks him second all-time in Oregon history for a single season.
While his win totals have decreased since his sophomore season, his 49 career singles victories puts him in 11th place all-time at Oregon.
King’s role on the team isn’t just about wins and losses. His upbeat attitude and his positive reinforcement toward his teammates is what makes this senior stick out.
“He’s always having fun, even at practice,” fellow Duck Arron Spencer said. “You will be down and he will always have a wise comment or joke to bring you up.”
Spencer remembers a time last year when King’s fun-loving spirit and laid-back attitude helped him out.
“It was my freshman year, and it was kind of intimidating to go down and play UCLA and he just helped me in his own way to just take it as another match,” Spencer said.

King’s uplifting spirit and never-say-die attitude may best represent what this year’s version of the Oregon men’s tennis team is about. His teammates recognize his fire to win and the fight he has in every single match.
“He shows heart and determination every time he is on the court,” Spencer said.
King’s spirit is personified in his thoughts against their first-round opponents Friday, last year’s NCAA runner-up Vanderbilt.
“My theory is, what do we have to lose?” King said. “They’re the ones under all the pressure so hopefully we can just play loose, boost our game, have some fun and pull off the victory.”
While the rest of his teammates will probably see greater success in the future of this up-and-coming tennis program at Oregon, King’s “lets just have fun” attitude should not be
forgotten.