Caldera’s Aiden Cruz remains unbeaten on the tennis court

Published 5:45 pm Friday, April 21, 2023

Unbeknownst to Aiden Cruz, there is a reason that his father, Ryan Cruz, has begun dodging him on the tennis court.

The Caldera sophomore is starting to become a force on the court.

“That is why I’ve shied away from playing him the past couple of years,” Ryan Cruz said. “His game has jumped quite a bit. I don’t know if I have his number at this stage, but I did when he was a bit younger.”

Ryan Cruz might not have anyone to blame but himself. When he moved to Bend in 2008 to coach girls basketball and tennis at Summit, he set up a pack-and-play for young Aiden while he went about his coaching duties.

Fifteen years later, not only has his son developed into a lethal outside shooter on the basketball court, but he is also off to an undefeated start this spring on the tennis court. Aiden Cruz won each of his 11 matches, including wins over some of the state’s best players in Summit’s Ben Bonetto and Lincoln’s Freddie Kemple.

Sure, Aiden Cruz qualified for the Class 6A state tennis championships last spring as a freshman, and won a match in the consolation round. But that came after he hardly picked up a racket during basketball season.

“I’m kind of surprised,” Aiden Cruz said. “I didn’t play much during the season, then I came in and played pretty well. I know I’ve been decent, but starting this season off without a loss has made me think that I’m pretty good.”

As a sophomore for the Wolfpack basketball team, Aiden Cruz knocked down 72 3-pointers in the school’s first varsity season. On the tennis court, his defense and ability to chase down balls and to wear down opponents, are the traits that have led to his undefeated start.

A lateral quickness and short bursts of movement needed in both tennis and basketball go hand-in-hand, he said. “I just kind of wait for the opponent to miss as my main strength,” Aiden Cruz said. “The footwork in tennis helps in basketball, and vice versa.”

The next step in his development, according to his coach, is to bring a little more fire power to his offensive side of tennis and not simply rely on his opponents to make mistakes, which, against better players, might not be the best strategy.

“He has that mindset where he is going to be a retriever and get a lot of balls back,” Ryan Cruz said. “Where he is developing is being more aggressive, getting a bigger serve and putting points away earlier.”

Aiden Cruz also relishes in being the underdog. He isn’t a year-round tennis player. When playing against better competition, he just tries to keep the game close long enough to rattle opponents.

“I try to make it closer than they think it should be,” Aiden Cruz said. “Maybe then they get nervous and I can pull off the win.”

His dad (and coach) already knows that he can play. More people might soon learn that same thing.

“For him to be pretty limited on court time, and to go out and compete the way that he has, I think he has a nice future ahead of him the next couple of years,” Ryan Cruz said.