If Joe Lunardi did bracketology for the NCAA men’s tennis championships, Wisconsin seniors Billy Bertha and Alexander Kostanov would be focused intently on ESPN to see whether their careers are over or if they will be awarded one more match.
With a constant need for LeBron James highlights and Tim Tebow drama preventing Division I tennis from earning any national airtime, Bertha and Kostanov will have to take a wait-and-see approach. As it currently stands, their résumés are most likely not strong enough for an individual singles or doubles bid, but the team itself sits on the bubble and awaits the selection release April 30.
In case the end has indeed come, it is time to look back and reflect on the careers of the only two seniors on the Badgers’ roster. Each has taken a vastly different path to get to this point.
Bertha is an in-state product from Whitefish Bay and a lifelong Badgers fan. Kostanov, meanwhile, is originally from Kursk, Russia, a midsize city on the western border of the country that is best known for being the site of a famous World War II battle. He spent his first two college years at the University of South Carolina before transferring to Madison.
Both Bertha and Kostanov have enjoyed successful careers at the Division I level. Bertha has posted a 55-60 overall record in singles matches in addition to an outstanding 71-37 doubles mark. He qualified for the 2012 NCAA doubles tournament, partnering with Fredrik Ask.
Kostanov went 52-63 in singles play and 53-54 in doubles during the entirety of his college career. He improved following his transfer, going 30-30 in singles and 32-26 in doubles in his two years at Wisconsin. For each of the Badgers’ last 14 matches, these two have paired together at the No. 1 doubles position, going 6-7 with one match called early. They have been ranked in the national doubles poll since April 16 and have gotten as high as the No. 78-ranked tandem in the country.
UW’s roster is dominated by freshmen, expanding the roles of the seniors in developing team chemistry.
“Being a senior makes you more responsible. I like the role. I think I set a good example and can be a good coach,” Kostanov said.
Freshman Alexander Kokorev testifies to this claim.
“Alex Kostanov speaks Russian, so he gives some good advice. Just to say like, ‘Look, you have to do here, this,’” Kokorev said. “Not only on the tennis court, but outside, during courses.”
Freshman Jakhongir Jalalov appreciates the leadership shown by Kostanov and Bertha, saying, “They’re good guys and they’re positive. They’re good captains. I’m kind of sad they’re leaving our program and team, but they’ve made a big impact.”
Bertha relishes playing big brother to the underclassmen.
“It’s kind of cool to see the overseas guys and help them get accustomed to college tennis and life in America.”
While the end of tennis is nigh for the seniors, neither is quite done with his time on campus. Kostanov is not sure whether he will stay in America or return home to Russia after he completes his degree in economics next year, but he knows where his priorities lie for the immediate future.
“I still have one more semester. I want to finish.”
Likewise, Bertha, majoring in finance and investment, also has a few classes to fulfill before getting his degree and beginning his career.
“I’d like to work for an investment firm in a big city—Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis.
“Getting to be part of the university and representing it was a great pleasure,” Bertha added.
They have not had much time to reflect, but Bertha and Kostanov are already grateful for their experiences, with a tinge of sadness at the realization they are almost over.
