University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Spotlight Of The Week
February 15, 2007 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 15, 2007
TarHeelBlue.com continues its Q&A sessions with members of the 2007 University of North Carolina men's tennis team. This week's featured player is sophomore Taylor Fogleman, a native from New Orleans, La.
THB: You've had a good start to this season in both singles and doubles. What did you work on since last season to improve and gain a spot in the starting lineup?
Taylor Fogleman: I think more than anything it is just maturity. Tripp Phillips, who is our assistant, really helped me understand the tennis court a lot more. I feel like I am playing smarter, more within myself. Last year I kind of felt like I was playing with my head cut off. And with fitness, I am probably in a lot better shape than I was last year. But maturity more than anything, definitely.
THB: How are you mentally approaching this season?
TF: It's a long season. We've only played six matches, we have a ton more to go. You just have to take it one at a time. You have to bounce back quickly from a win or loss because your next match is pretty much within the next couple days.
THB: In doubles with freshman Chris Kearney, you have been doing very well for the start of the season. How are the two of you as a team? How do you work well together?
TF: I think we mesh together really well. It is really two different games, which I think is good for doubles. I'm more of a finesse player. I can just put the ball down at people's feet. I like to call him, "grip it and rip it." That's what he does best. So, it is a good change of pace. It kind of throws teams off. It seems to be working well so far.
THB: In the fall you captured your first tournament title at the UNC-W Fall Invitational. How did that feel to you?
TF: Everything in the fall is just a preparation for the spring. If you went and won an All-American title or something like that, that's definitely something special. But I just felt like it was a stepping-stone. Everything we did was just building up your strength. I didn't think it was that big of a deal.
THB: You have South Carolina coming up on Friday and they are a tough opponent. UNC has won the last three meets between the two teams. What is the mentality of the team going into this match? How do you feel going into it?
TF: We played them away last year, which was tough. I think they were ten in the country or something like that. We were the underdog. Coach always tells us going into like these two that we are a young team; they are a pretty older, experienced team and a foreign team. I think that even though we are ranked higher than they are, it's good to have this match at home, but we still might be the underdogs just because of the experience they have.
THB: In your personality profile, your biggest sports thrill was playing an exhibition doubles match with Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick. Can you tell me a little about that? What was it for, where, etc.?
TF: It was for this chef from New Orleans, Emeril Lagasse's foundation for underprivileged, depleting, public schools around the city of New Orleans. New Orleans doesn't really have a great public school program. He goes over to Agassi's charity event every year and cooks. He got Andre and Andy to come down and play in an auditorium with about three or four thousand people. The pro that was running the event wanted to get a spotlight for junior tennis in New Orleans and he actually invited me to play doubles. And that's how it basically happened. It was a lot of fun. We just played a set to start off before they played a singles match. It was a great experience. We got to hang out them beforehand, see how they prepare even for these exhibition matches. It was an eye opening experience on how professionals prepare for matches as opposed to how we do.
THB: You are from New Orleans. Did Hurricane Katrina affect you and your family? Your friends?
TF: It was my freshman year. I had just gotten dropped off here. It didn't effect my mom and dad, but my aunt's house had eight feet of water in it. Other than that, my immediate family came out pretty much unscathed. I had a lot of family friends and close friends from high school whose homes were destroyed. Some of them have moved from New Orleans to Houston or some place close. There are parts of the city that still have absolutely nothing done.
THB: You wrote you watch golf for eight hours every weekend. What is it about golf you like so much? Who is your favorite golfer?
TF: It might not actually be eight hours. Whenever we have a day off from tennis, I love to get on the golf course, whether it's Finley or somewhere around here and go hit golf balls or play golf. It is relaxing for me; I can play really bad, I occasionally play decent. It is a lot mellower of a sport for me than tennis. It is more of a stress relief than anything. Favorite golfer, I'd have to say Phil Mickelson.
THB: Why did you list your car as your most prized possession?
TF: I beat around the bush to get my license until I was like sixteen and a half. My car did not come until I was probably just finishing my senior year in high school. It still is my prized possession. My younger sister got her car right when she turned sixteen. I learned to appreciate it a lot more than she did; she's already gotten in a couple wrecks with her car.
THB: Your mother played tennis at Tulane. What kind of influence did she have on you?
TF: My dad played tennis as well, but he didn't play college tennis. More than anything, my mom wanted me to do what I wanted to do. If I wanted to play tennis, it was because I wanted to. She didn't force me to do anything. Obviously her playing tennis, knowing tennis, was a big help going up through juniors and learning the game. But she educated me on the game.
