In the summer of 2015, after playing through pain for more than a year, Kennesaw State senior men's tennis player Jake Bouchillon underwent back surgery that nearly ended his career. Thanks to the support of his teammates and coaches, and the bonds they created from the minute he walked on campus as a freshman, Bouchillon is back. This is his story. In his own words...

Tennis can be a lonely sport. As a young junior player, you spend nearly every weekend traveling to various places throughout the nation. You spend the days battling on court with only your own head to sift through.
 
When victorious, there is no better feeling, but when things go wrong, the seclusion begins to set in. When you're out there on the court grinding point after point, you have no one to look to, ask advice of, or to motivate you. It is solely on you.
 
As a junior player, tennis is a sport where you must learn mental strength or you will not last.
 
It is just about every young tennis player's goal and dream to play for a collegiate team. The word "team" is rare in tennis. The opportunity to compete with multiple individuals that all share the same passions and goals is what we strive for. The thought of competing as you always have, but greatly reducing the exhausting factor of loneliness, rekindles that love for the sport.

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