“Intense”, local players serve as hitting partners for BNP Paribas Open

Palm Springs Alum Nico Calixto and aspiring pro Trevor Quenan gaged their tennis game as hitting partners at Indian Wells.

Q: What’s the experience been like? 

Quenan: It's been a lot, I have hit with a lot of WTA players. Probably the highlight so far would be warming up Tsitsipas before his match on PC1. There was about 400 people watching us and it was a little nerve-racking. I also hit with Maria Sakkari for the tennis documentary on Netflix called Break Point. 

Calixto: My highlight for this week was hitting with former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and of course Tabilo, because he is a great player and a fellow Chilean. 

Q: How would you describe hitting with the world's best? 

Quenan: It's intense. The action is nuts and you barely get any breaks. Sweating through three shirts everyday. A level I haven’t seen before but it's nice to be apart of actually. 

Calixto: The difference is obviously Tabilo and Medvedev hit such a different ball. With Tabilo I feel so rushed because he crushes the ball and Medvedev stands15 feet back so its easy to get a rhythm. But the difference is consistency with results every week and mental toughness. 

Q: What do you think this will do for your tennis journey? Are you gaining confidence from hitting with these players in this environment? 

Quenan: Oh definitely, I am going to start playing in some pro tournaments in the next few weeks. 

Calixto: It's great, I could get Medvedev or I could get a qualifier either way I am getting a solid hit. I don’t care who it is, these guys are pro’s so it's a good learning experience no matter who it is.