Brotherly competition fuels Shoreham-Wading River boys tennis squad

For the Hidaka brothers, tennis is just another outlet for competition. Whether it’s tennis, video games, school grades or anything else, they’re always competing with each other. They wouldn’t want it any other way.

Ray Hidaka has been a fixture in the Shoreham-Wading River boys varsity tennis team for five years. He joined the team as a nervous, wide-eyed seventh grader but still earned the first singles slot and has never let it go all these years. Now a junior, he finally got some competition for that No. 1 spot — his brother. 

Last year, Ray and Kai both finished ranked second and fourth respectively in the division for singles players. Kai, as an eighth grader, worked his way into the second singles slot after playing varsity doubles with his brother the year before. Ray only lost to three opponents all of last year in the first singles spot and all three of his losses were against seniors later named All-State. In the county tournament, he was one win away from making it to the states.

In other words, Ray’s no slouch. He’s been the king of the courts at SWR. After being in the shadows of his brother early in his varsity years, Kai decided to commit to tennis this offseason.

“I really spent a lot of time playing this year and wanted to get better,” Kai said. “I’ve been playing club tennis since I was five, but this year, something in me just wanted to take the next step and push myself to the limit.”

Coach Matthew Epp saw it right away when he stepped foot on the court for the first practice.

“Totally different player,” Epp said. “You could tell his improvement immediately. The way he was striking the ball, making tough shots and putting the pressure on his opponents, I knew we were going to see a new version of Kai this year.”

Though Kai and Ray are only two years apart in age, the siblings play with two different styles. Ray is more methodical and cool-headed — other schools call him ‘The Terminator’ because of how ruthless and efficient he is. Kai on the other hand, is more aggressive and emotional. In the spirit of competition, Kai challenged Ray for the No. 1 singles spot.

“It’s been Ray’s spot forever,” Epp said. “But I left it up to them. If they wanted to compete for the No. 1 spot like anyone else would have to, so be it. They ended up playing head to head on the third day of practice.”

“Believe it or not, we don’t actually play against each other a lot,” Ray said. “We play in the same club, but we rarely play against each other in the offseason. I knew he got a lot better this year. I’ve been busy studying for my six AP classes, so he got more time on the court. Not going to lie, I was nervous going into that game.”

Kai, only a freshman, wanted to challenge himself this season. And before he would get a chance to face the best singles players in Suffolk County, he had to prove that he was better than his brother.

“All I kept thinking about was all the times I lost to him over the years,” Kai said. “I wanted to win so badly. As much as I love my brother, I wanted to prove I was better.”

Kai won the first set 6-0 then proceeded to win the match and the spot.

“He deserves it,” Ray said. “He won fair and square. I knew I was in trouble after that first set.”

SWR opened their season March 25 against Bayport-Blue Point. Both Hidakas won but Ray finished earlier after a two-set sweep. He watched from the sidelines as his brother’s match went into the third and final set. Kai argued some out calls, played with emotion and yelled in tight moments. Though he won the match, he was disappointed in his first performance in the No. 1 role.

“I thought I was off my usual game,” Kai said. “Playing outside after playing indoors all year is so much different. I also lost my cool sometimes. That’s one thing I wish I had from my brother is his calmness no matter how many points he’s behind.”

“That comes with time,” Ray interjected. “You’ll get there.”

The competition continues as the siblings keep pushing one another to improve.

“Both of us want to make states this year,” Ray said with a smile. “But who knows, we might just have to play each other again in the county tournament.”