According to Faulkner, South made several attempts to try to have the IHSA clarify the ruling, but they were unsuccessful.
Not only was Zieba disappointed with the suspension, but the rest of the team was as well.
“[It was] a big blow to the team, no doubt about that,” senior captain Michael Sellitto said.
According to Sellitto, Zieba’s best match this year was against Jason Brown, the number two player in the state. The conditions weren’t ideal, but Zieba fought hard and stayed mentally tough.
“Skill wise, he [brought] an enormous amount of talent and hard work to the team,” Sellitto said. “He is number one for a reason.”
Zieba has the ability to finish points at the net and a powerful serve, which sets him up for great shots, according to Sellitto.
“Konrad is a very heavy ball-striker,” Sellitto said. “He has penetrating ground strokes.”
According to Faulkner, Zieba knew that it was extremely likely that the tournament would not be allowed.
“ITF tournaments are a big deal,” Faulkner said. “Not too many high school kids even get an opportunity to play in them, so he chose to do that.”
With Zieba out for the rest of the season, the team needed to make some adjustments for the remaining match schedule and for state. According to Faulkner, the team had many strong players that filled the role, and they adjusted their goals accordingly.
“Obviously the team [was] disappointed with the ruling from IHSA, but we [moved] on.” Faulkner said.
Zieba’s success stems from his dad’s influence on tennis at such a young age.
“My dad has been playing for many years, and he took out me out on the tennis court when I was little and started tossing me balls.” Zieba said.
Zieba was born in Park Ridge and moved to Glenview when he was five years old; at this time he began playing tennis, according to Zieba.
He began to play once a week, then signed up for a tournament at the age of seven, and won it.
As his tennis career progressed, he was invited to go to Spain by the head of the United States Tennis Association [USTA] a few months before his freshman year.
“[Shortly thereafter,] they accepted my application for the tennis academy in Boca Raton, and I got to train with the best kids in the country,” Zieba said. “I was coached by former professionals and some former top ten players in the world.”
This [was] Zieba’s first year at South, and his first time playing high school level tennis. As for goals for the future, Zieba aims high.
“[I want to] try to win NCAA championships in college, and eventually try to go pro after college.” Zieba said.
