Ithaca’s Riccio thriving in return to tennis

Ithaca boys tennis finished the regular season at 12-0 and won the Southern Tier Athletic Conference (STAC) Championship on Monday. Leading the way individually this year is outstanding first singles player David Riccio, a junior who has not dropped a single set in his 10 matches thus far.

What makes his season even more impressive is that it’s his first varsity action since eighth grade, with COVID-19 canceling what would have been his freshman year. He did not participate in the shortened season in his sophomore year but has returned to dominate in his junior year. He talked about the success he’s experienced this season.

“I really just think this season has given me a lot of confidence so far,” Riccio said. “I am just feeling all my strokes. I would say my most effective weapon has been my serve, and I’ve been working at that. I’m a lefty, so I have a lot of different spins that I can apply to players and I can take advantage of that and get ahead in the points.”

He’s been able to get ahead regularly, winning 120 games while only losing 12 across his 10 matches. Riccio credits his serve as something that has been able to propel him to success.

“I’ve really worked on my serve this season a lot,” Riccio said. “For a lot of people, lefties are pretty rare, so I’ve really worked on perfecting the different types of spins on the serves, kick, flat and slice so I can really change it up if one serve isn’t working. Overall, I just like to work on playing different types of players and getting ready for states.”

Seeing different styles is important for Riccio, who reached the State Tournament when he was in eighth grade, his only other varsity season. Learning how to counter different styles will be crucial for his success this postseason.

“My game has adapted to playing all different types of players,” Riccio said. “This season has really showed me in practice how many different game styles there are. I’ve just played against so many types of players that I really can adapt my game to so many different types of players. I really feel like that’s helped me a lot this season.”

Of course, Riccio is not the only Little Red player having success, as Ithaca is one of just two undefeated teams in Section IV, with Delhi being the other. Riccio talked about what’s behind the success of the Little Red as a whole this season.

“I would say camaraderie,” Riccio said. “We have a strong bond between the players. When someone loses a game or has a bad point, we always cheer for each other and encourage each other to keep pushing through and going for it.”

That extra motivation means a lot to Riccio, who has not been on a team since 2019. He talked about the impact of support from teammates.

“When I played tournaments, it’s a very individual sport,” Riccio said. “You usually, oftentimes, don’t have that much encouragement from the outside. So, if you’re down a point or a game, and you really need an extra boost, your team really can help you out. I think that really helps.”

Riccio certainly did not stop playing while he was not on the varsity team and detailed what he did to stay active over the past two years.

“I’m thankful that over COVID, tennis is one of the sports where you can play while maintaining distance,” Riccio said. “I was playing mainly outside with my family so I could still play and I’m very grateful for that. This season has really brought me back to the game and showed me how much I really love playing on a team. Tennis is a very individual sport, so it’s very nice when you can play on a team and get that camaraderie that you couldn’t really get over COVID.”

The Section IV Tournament is up next for Ithaca, but Riccio is hoping to make a lengthy run beyond sectionals this month.

“I want to make a deep run at states,” Riccio said. “When I went to states in eighth grade, I lost in the main round and then in consolation. I’m really looking to have a deeper run this year.”

The Section IV Class A Tournament takes place in Union-Endicott on May 11. The individual State Tournament will be held from June 2 through 4 in Flushing.

The team State Tournament, which Ithaca seems primed to have a spot in, will be on June 10 in Flushing as well.

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