{"id":554850,"date":"2026-03-23T07:30:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/554850\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T07:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:30:30","slug":"carter-michaels-making-early-impact-for-mens-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/554850\/","title":{"rendered":"Carter Michaels making early impact for men\u2019s tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stepping into a college lineup is one thing. Competing at No. 1 doubles alongside one of the program\u2019s most experienced players, junior Theo Billson, is something else entirely.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where freshman Carter Michaels has found himself early in his career with UW-Whitewater men\u2019s tennis.<\/p>\n

For Michaels, the adjustment hasn\u2019t been easy, but it\u2019s been fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe transition from high school to college has been a fun experience, but it\u2019s been a lot to take in,\u201d Michaels said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot more fast paced than high school, but I honestly like it better this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

That pace shows up right away in matches, where points move quicker and opponents are more consistent. It\u2019s something many freshmen struggle with, especially early in the season. For Michaels, the learning curve has been just as mental as physical.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe part of my game that has improved the most since joining the team is my mentality,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s always a battle out there. Not only when you are playing your opponent, but against yourself too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playing on the No. 1 doubles team has only accelerated that growth. Paired with Billson, one of the top players in Division III, Michaels has been thrown into high-level matches right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying doubles with Theo has been a good learning experience for me because he is able to help me become a better doubles player from all of his experience,\u201d Michaels said.<\/p>\n

\"\"The UW-Whitewater Warhawks men\u2019s tennis doubles team freshman Carter Michaels and senior Parker Sprague celebrate after winning their doubles match at the Warhawk Fall Invite, Sep. 5. 2025 at the Warhawk Outdoor Tennis Complex.
(Charlie Clark<\/a>)<\/p>\n

From Billson\u2019s perspective, the talent was obvious right away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing that stood out to me playing with Carter was his athleticism,\u201d Billson said. \u201cWhenever our opponents drag us off the court, somehow Carter is already there before I can even start to move.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the season has gone on, that raw ability has started to translate into results. According to head coach Byron Balkin, the pairing has already shown flashes of what it can become.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve had some really good results as of late,\u201d Balkin said. \u201cThis last weekend they went 2-0 against two really good teams,\u201d referring to their meet on February 28 in Lake Geneva.<\/p>\n

Billson also talked about what we don\u2019t see: the chemistry that they\u2019ve built.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur chemistry has really come together over the last couple of matches,\u201d Billson said. \u201cWe are starting to realize each other\u2019s strengths and weaknesses and fill those gaps.\u00a0 We\u2019re starting to play as one unit now.\u201d<\/p>\n

That chemistry is important at the top of the lineup, where small mistakes can change entire matches. It\u2019s also where Billson\u2019s experience has played a major role.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the experience of playing against top doubles players in D3,\u201d Billson said. \u201cThat\u2019s something I\u2019ve tried to hammer home with Carter. That on any day, anyone can win at doubles.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Michaels, one of the biggest takeaways from that partnership has been how to handle those moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve learned the most is not letting the small things get to you,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to be ready for the next point right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balkin believes that combination of skill and mindset is what makes Michaels stand out this early in his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a lot of natural ability. His technique on both sides is really good,\u201d Balkin said. \u201cBut what also impresses me is his willingness to put it on the line and compete.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with that, the role hasn\u2019t been light. Michaels has also contributed in singles, balancing a full workload as a freshman.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s playing one doubles and four singles\u2026 that\u2019s a good load,\u201d Balkin said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s handling those moments really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, both Balkin and Billson see even more room to grow for Michaels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think once he\u2019s played those matches against the top doubles teams in the country, he could be something special,\u201d Billson said.<\/p>\n

For now, Michaels is focused on continuing to grow not just in doubles, but across the lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my main goals this season is to be a reliable win for the team,\u201d he said. \u201cNot only in doubles but in singles too.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a simple goal, but for a freshman already competing at the top of the lineup, it says a lot about where Michaels sees his game heading, and where it could take the Warhawks moving forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stepping into a college lineup is one thing. Competing at No. 1 doubles alongside one of the program\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554851,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[215119,49,48,215120,115128,82,593,215121],"class_list":["post-554850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-byron-balkin","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-carter-michaels","tag-mens-tennis","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-theo-billson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554850"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554850\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}