April 5, 2000
Geoff Abrams is nearing the end of his Stanford career, but he is nowhere near finished. He is playing this season with his entire heart, and will not be ready to look back on his time at The Farm until it is actually over.
"This year is going pretty well, but it's hard to judge until after the NCAA's. I would definitely love to win a team championship. To share it with these guys and have it in my senior year would be great. Just to be able to help the team chemistry, that would be such a sweet way to go out."
It was a sweet way to come in four years ago when he joined the Cardinal tennis team for Stanford's 15th NCAA team title. His sophomore year, they won again, breaking the record with 16 team championships. Those two seasons were impressive and wonderful memories for Abrams: "My best moments were the titles, but especially sophomore year being undefeated. It was such a great way to cap off the season with a win in front of a huge crowd. I won my singles and doubles matches that day. As a team it was my best memory."
As he comes full circle at the end of this year, he can look back on a successful collegiate tennis career, an impressive education and tremendous growing experience. As one of the top players on the Stanford squad and a Human Biology major, he has learned to excel at the highest level of two difficult and equally demanding fields. He has molded his body into a strong player and shaped his mind to become a doctor. But before he can pursue any other interests, he will first have to say good-bye to Stanford.
"It will be sad to leave. Before college, tennis was so individual, it was hard to envision a team setting. It is great not going out [onto the court] all by yourself. Traveling and knowing [your teammates] better is so much more fun. Academically, it has been tough being pre-med. It's challenging, so it's a great environment. Everyone here has so much going for them, it's nice to come to a place where everyone has so many talents. I think it will help prepare me for the real world where there is always competition."
Abrams is looking ahead with hope and restrained excitement, "I plan to turn pro for a little while and apply to medical school. I want to play tennis for as long as I can...then I want to do surgery of some sort."
Abrams' plan to turn professional is a carefully considered decision. In high school he stopped playing all other sports. He had given up everything except baseball and tennis, but decided to put all of his efforts into tennis. He knew he could develop into a great player, and he has continued to work at that. He watches Pete Samparas to find a game similar to his own style.
"I love the way he plays. He has the big serve, he plays the big game. It's hard to watch someone like that and not mold your game after him."
Most of all, Abrams finds himself looking back at the past four years knowing that his most important contribution will be the impression he leaves on the younger players. As team captain, Abrams took his role seriously. "[Being captain] helped my leadership skills, there are a lot of freshmen on this team and I'd like to think I've helped them adjust to the collegiate tennis lifestyle. They've done a lot of it on their own, but I've been able to answer questions and hopefully help them out. [When people remember me, I wan them to think] Geoff was a good person. He was more than an athlete and even a student-athlete. I want this year's freshmen to look back when they're seniors and say `Geoff was a great guy, fun to hang out with. I could ask him and he would give me advice.' I just want to be thought of as a good-hearted person."