Last weekend, the North Allegheny Boys’ Tennis Team traveled to Hershey as the underdog team in the PIAA Final. They returned home as state champions.
The title was the Tigers’ third — and their first since 2009. With the win, the team amassed a perfect 21-0 record on the season for only the third time in program history.
With statistics like those, there is no doubt that the team is filled with talented players. But one player in particular stood out not only this season but throughout his high school career.
Junior captain Advaita Sircar has been the Tigers’ No. 1 singles player in each of his three years on the team. He has earned two WPIAL singles titles and one runner-up finish. He became the first NA player in program history to win multiple AAA Section 2 singles championships after capturing three consecutive section titles. Sircar has also helped lead the Tigers to two WPIAL team championships and, just last weekend, a first-place finish at states.
“I started playing tennis in December of 2019 at Oxford Athletic Club,” Sircar said. “When I got my membership at Oxford, my parents decided to enroll me in both swimming and tennis and see how it would turn out because they loved to watch both sports.”
It didn’t take long before he realized that he had something special when it came to tennis.
“Around the middle of 2020, I started to play tennis seven days a week and let go of swimming. I started getting better and better which eventually led me to put my full time into tennis,” Sircar said.
Sircar has been at the forefront of North Allegheny tennis ever since his first year on the team. As a freshman, he became the fifth player in program history to win the WPIAL AAA singles final. The rookie also led the Tigers to a WPIAL team title for the first time since 2009 as the No. 1 singles player.
While he often makes his dominance seem effortless, but spectators should not be mistaken.
“It definitely takes a massive amount of work. It took hours and hours of just grinding on the court at 7, 8, even 9 PM to get where I am today. There are no shortcuts in tennis. You get out exactly what you put in,” Sircar shared.
It is clear that success of this caliber does not just come overnight. Sircar demonstrates the meaning “work hard, play hard” and it shows when he very frequently comes out on top.
‘My love for competition and seeing how far I can push my limits keep me motivated. Tennis is one of the few sports where it’s just you out there, so you can’t hide behind anyone else. Seeing how the hard work at practice turns into wins on match day is incredibly rewarding and keeps me hungry for more,” he said.
Sircar’s reputation for winning, however, comes with its own challenges.
“The pressure is always there, especially because I carry high expectations from myself and others,” he said.
But for Sircar, being a successful athlete means knowing how to drown out the noise and focus on the task at hand.
“I manage it by taking my focus away from the final score and onto the process. I just tell myself to take it one point at a time and focus on what I can actually control, like my attitude and my effort,” he shared.
Sircar competes as a singles player, but his team continues to be extremely important to him.
“Tennis is usually such an individual and lonely sport, but playing for my school means I’m fighting for something bigger than myself,” he said. “Having my teammates cheering for every big point during a tight match is a completely unmatched feeling.”
It is obvious that Sircar is a huge asset to the team’s on-court success, but he is also praised for his efforts as a teammate off the court as well.
“Advaita is exactly what you look for in a teammate. He shows up every day and makes everyone around him a better player. It’s been a pleasure being able to practice with him for the last ten years,” said senior captain Evan Kaufman.
Junior Ronit Ginde echoed Kaufman.
“He is an incredibly talented player and someone who makes a huge impact on our team,” Ginde said. “He’s not only a great player, but also a really important leader for our team. He always brings a positive attitude and encourages everyone around him.”
The NA boy’s tennis team has experienced tremendous success over the past several years, but this season was especially historic as the Tigers captured both the WPIAL and PIAA team championships, solidifying their place among the program’s all-time great teams.
Last September, Sircar announced his commitment to play Division I tennis at the U.S. Naval Academy, whose team consistently finishes at the top of the Patriot League.
“The Naval Academy offered a combination of top-tier academics, an amazing DI tennis program, and the ability to serve my country,” he said. “When I went on my visit there, the culture of discipline, leadership, and the brotherhood among the guys on the team completely blew me away. It’s an honor to get to play the sport I love while preparing to serve my country.”
Only a junior, Sircar began the recruiting process earlier than most.
“It was definitely very long and stressful,” he said as he described his experience. “Balancing high school, tournaments, and constantly communicating with college coaches took a lot of time and was pretty overwhelming at times, but finding the perfect fit at Navy made every single bit of the stress worth it.”
But before he moves onto his next endeavors, he still has some unfinished business here at NA. With some hardware still left to win this season, Sircar will travel back to Hershey this weekend to compete in the PIAA singles championships.
Looking beyond this season, Sircar still has many goals for his upcoming senior year.
“My main goals are to step up as a strong leader for my team, push for a state championship run, and finish my high school career as best as I can,” he said.
