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30 CAVALIER CORNER cavalier profile CARL SÖDERLUND Third-Year • Tennis As of April 11, third-year Carl Söderlund boasted a 16-3 overall record and an 8-1 mark in the ACC, had been named the ACC Men's Singles Player of the Week three times and was ranked No. 5 nation- ally in singles. Yet, there was a time when tennis was the farthest thing from his mind. The native of Stockholm, Sweden, was born with a condition where a bone cut into his right quadriceps muscle when- ever he bent his knee. He underwent sur- gery during which the bone was shaved down, and subsequently endured a lengthy rehab. "When I was 16, I wasn't competing for one and a half years," said Söderlund, who was a first-team All-ACC selection last season. "That was very tough and put my mind off tennis for a while. I con- sidered not playing. After we found the issue, we worked from there with surgery and rehab. It was a tough period in my life and tennis. It kind of put a perspec- tive on life." Söderlund also was selected to com- pete in the 2018 NCAA Singles Champion- ships, but withdrew before the start. "The main reason was I had been play- ing with an injury during the season," he said. "I maintained that from February to May. We decided what was best for my development was to take a few weeks off to recover my body." That proved to be a wise decision be- cause Söderlund has come back strong in 2018-19. On March 17, he beat 2018 NCAA singles champion and No. 2-ranked Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. "I always knew that if I bring everything to the table and practice hard, I can beat anybody in tennis," Söderlund said. "Over the long run, I should be able to win most of those matches. If I bring the passion and intensity I have, that can happen." What also "can happen" defines Söder- lund's long-term goal. "I'm going to finish my education at UVA and then my goal is to play a few years of professional tennis," he said. "Hopefully that will be enough to make a living in the sport and learn a lot of useful tools to live life in general." — Mike Scandura Photo courtesy UVA