Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Physical Adversity Struck Squire Prior to Freshman of the Year Season
5/22/2021 12:30:00 PM | Men's Tennis, Les Johns
Squire is the fifth rookie Demon Deacon to nab the postseason award for Wake Forest and marks his first All-ACC award of his career.
A year ago in March, Wake Forest freshman tennis player Henri Squire was sent back home to Germany as the Covid-19 pandemic started impacting collegiate athletics.
The lockdown situations got quickly worse for Squire once he got home, as he contracted mono and strep throat at the same time — a rare occurrence that his doctor told him happens less than two percent of the time.
Squire recovered in record time, got in 50 matches while back home in Germany and returned to take his spot at No. 1 singles for Wake Forest this season — excelling enough to earn ACC Freshman of the Year honors.
"I thought it was a great thing to be named Freshman of the Year, but for me it's more about team success than individual success at the moment," Squire said. "It was nice, but I want the team to succeed first. If I succeed as well, that's a nice bonus. It was a nice gesture, but I wasn't crazy happy, because we still lost in the ACC Tournament."
The physical adversity that struck Squire on his return to Germany fueled his ascension in recent months. He lost 22 months between mid-March and May last year.
"I got back to Germany and one-week later I started feeling sick," he said. "I was in lock down. It was weird. It wasn't a normal sickness. It lasted two weeks and I didn't get better. They told me it could take six months to get better, so I was kind of scared. It got better faster than everyone thought, then I started playing tennis two-and-a-half months later.
"After that I was so motivated and driven. Those two months were just horrible for me. I was so driven to get going, train and practice. Since I got healthy, I've been working hard."
When he returned to the court, he noticed a big difference in power, strength, speed and stamina. But he worked through it, put together some wins and returned to Wake Forest better than ever.
"Heading into this season, over the summer it was planned that I was going to be playing at No. 1 singles," Squire said. "I played lots of matches in Germany over the summer — some league matches, tournaments and futures. I did pretty well during the summer, playing roughly 50 matches and winning lots of them against very good players.
"The coaches knew I was going to play No. 1, so it wasn't a big surprise for me. I had to take the challenge, because every number one in college can play good tennis. I thought I did a good job, especially since I missed some time early with Covid."
Yes, Squire also dealt with Covid early this year, missing a couple weeks before returning to defeat Daniel Rodrigues of South Carolina 7-6, 7-6 in a 4-3 Wake Forest dual match Jan. 31. Rodrigues is now the No. 2 ranked player, according to Oracle/ITA.
"I actually beat the No. 2 guy in the nation, so I was proud of that," Squire said. "It was a difficult situation, but it gave me confidence for the rest of the season."
Although the Deacs fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Ohio State, Squire is set to compete in NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Orlando, Fla, which starts May 23.
"I was very happy about that," he said. "This will be the first time I've played college singles. I've only played the team matches so far. It's a great opportunity to play against the best in the country and show what I've got."
Squire earned a national seed, and will also compete in doubles with Wake Forest teammate Eduardo Nava.
His collegiate journey is a bit unusual, as he made the trip to America to visit six schools, none of which was Wake Forest.
"I didn't visit Wake before coming here," Squire said. "I didn't like the cultures (at the other places) that much. They were pushing me to make a decision two days later. I didn't like the communication, and didn't feel comfortable."
Before making a final decision, his father told him Wake Forest had reached out and then he spoke with Demon Deacon coach Tony Bresky.
"I was convinced," Squire said. "He didn't try to push me to make a quick decision, and was so nice. I liked how he communicated with me. I felt like Wake Forest was the best idea, then when I got here I was just amazed at what a great university it is. How did I not know about this place?"
"I was so lucky Wake Forest came up. I made the right decision for sure. I've had a great experience. The culture is unreal, the team is super nice and the academics are great."
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