On senior night, Ondrej Styler’s legacy is cemented

For the Michigan men’s tennis team, senior Ondrej Styler, fifth-year Andrew Fenty and fifth-year Patrick Maloney were all celebrated on Sunday for senior night, and rightfully so. The three graduates combine for an onslaught of the Wolverines’ successes this season, and are the namesake of the program.

However, Styler’s story is just a little different from the other two. 

An international student hailing from the Czech Republic, Styler didn’t always just play tennis. After picking up his first racket at six years old, he found other outlets for his plentiful energy.

“He played football (soccer) at the beginning,” Ondrej Styler’s mother, Ive Styler said. “He did track and field, too. Tennis was his choice.”

Those other sports fell quickly by the wayside, as Ondrej fell in love with tennis. He stormed through the youth circuits, dominated tournaments and ranking as high as the No. 13 youth player in the world. Not to mention being crowned the doubles winner of the Junior French Open in 2018, competing as a doubles finalist in the Junior Wimbledon and placing fourth at the 2018 Youth Olympics.

“It was a really amazing time with a lot of stress,” Ive said. “We’re just so happy he made it (to Michigan).”

At 6-foot-5, he had no issues adapting to the collegiate level. His freshman year he excelled with an 18-8 record, and has only improved since. His lightning-fast serve and hard-hit forehand are the focal points of his game and command the attention of every spectator. 

“He’s given everything to us,” Michigan coach Adam Steinberg said emotionally. “He’s improved so much in so many areas, I could just talk all day.”

Now a senior, Ondrej is a highlight of the Michigan program on a personal record, 11-0 run, and the highest rated singles player on the team. He commands his singles play with sound technique and precision, and uses the chemistry he and his teammates have built to an impressive 13-6 doubles record on the season. His hard work, dedication and perseverance over the years were put on full display in his final regular season meet against No. 25 Illinois. 

Ondrej started out hot with his partner junior Jacob Bickersteth, slamming volleys and weakly returned shots en route to a decisive 6-4 victory. His teammates fifth-year Patrick Maloney and junior Nino Ehrenschneider also had no problem with their opponents, as the two duos captured the doubles point for the Wolverines. 

In singles, Ondrej shined even brighter.

In his first set against the Fighting Illini’s Hunter Heck, Styler’s serve was the difference maker as he again cruised to a 6-4 first set win. Playing solid, technical tennis, Ondrej capitalized on Heck’s weak spots and take advantage of mishit and under-powered returns. 

“I had to just go for my shots and be patient,” Ondrej said. “ … take it point by point and believe you’re gonna come out as the champion and that’s literally what I did. I was nervous. There’s no shame in that.”

However, the nerves didn’t show as he entered his second set. He shot out to a 2-0 lead, but Heck did not let him run away with it. A close back and forth battle saw the matchup enter a tiebreaker. Every rally brought the Varsity Tennis Center to a dead quiet as all eyes were fixated on his court. An unfortunate redirect off of the net cord sent the ball out of bounds and gave Heck the opportunity to send the match into a third set. However, Ondrej had no intention of letting the match go on any longer, and hammered four straight points to Heck’s weak spots, taking the second set.

Ondrej, triumphant in his final regular season meet with the Wolverines, turned to the crowd with both fists in the air, racket clenched tightly in his right hand. 

“It was great,” Ondrej said. “I had my family here, and my girlfriend came as well. It was a special match for me to finish on a high note in front of the closest people that I have in my life.”

Now graduating in a week with a data analytics degree from the School of Information, Ondrej has options both on and off the court. With some more work and time, he could make a run at pro tennis and continue competing in the sport he loves. On the other hand, he has a bright future in the realm of data analytics and management. On senior night, he would be remiss to not reflect on his time in Ann Arbor.

“I just hoped to leave the program better than I found it,” Ondrej said. “That was the whole mission these past four years. I’m always going to be a Michigan fan and support the guys.”

Now, his mission is complete, and he has the rest of his life in front of him. Between his degree and his tennis prowess, Ondrej Styler has the world in the palm of his hand.