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May 26, 2012 5:54 am PDT

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Tribe

July 28, 2010

Sivan Krems: Keeping it steady

by Amanda Schwartz, Contributing Writer

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Sivan Krems started playing tennis 10 years ago: She was 5. “My dad would feed me balls,” she explained while catching her breath after a practice session at Brentwood’s Mountain Gate Country Club.

Even though it’s summer, the Westlake High School rising sophomore is hardly taking it easy. Instead, she is filling her schedule with training for tournaments across the country — most recently for both the Intersectional Competition in Shreveport, La., and the Girls 16 National Clay Court Championships in Virginia Beach, Va. For Sivan, who has been competing in tournaments since she was 10, this is business as usual.

Even before school let out, Sivan played at the 37th Maze Cup, an annual competition between the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) Northern California and Southern California Section’s top junior tennis players. Ranked 20th in the nation by the USTA in the girls 16-and-under division and third in Southern California for girls 16 and under, she won both of her singles matches and contributed to the Southern California team’s 15-5 victory at the match. She was the youngest player there.

Her early propensity for the game comes as no surprise to her trainer at Mountain Gate, veteran tennis instructor Barry Horowitz.

“Wonderful volley,” he called out to her during practice. “I love the way you ran the line.”

After working with Sivan for two years, Horowitz cites Sivan’s greatest strengths as her mental fortitude and competitiveness.

“She’s always been a fabulous competitor, and she always brings steady play,” he said. “Her strengths are her mental toughness and consistency.”

Sivan, who was recently named Girls’ Player of the Year by the Ventura County Star, also has a firm grasp of her abilities. She’s noticed from training with Horowitz that both her volleys and backhand have gotten a lot stronger. Horowitz has focused on helping Sivan build a strong technical foundation to support a natural flair for the game.

“She’s so coachable,” Horowitz added. “Anything I say to her, she’s willing to try. She’s kind of like a sponge.”

For the most part, Sivan trains with her father, Michael Krems, a public relations consultant and former NCAA All-American Division III player. She also gets support and inspiration from her older brother, Mitch, who is also a USTA ranked tennis player, and her mother, Dikla Krems, an Israeli who came to the United States 18 years ago.

Sivan, who speaks Hebrew, enjoys Shabbat dinners on Friday nights with her family. As a child, she attended Pressman Academy Preschool of Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, where she gained a foundation for learning about Jewish culture and traditions. Although it has been nine years since she last visited Israel, she says Israeli food is her favorite, and as a tennis ritual, she snacks on hummus and a bagel before every match.

Sivan cites International Tennis Hall of Fame member and former World No. 1 professional tennis player Monica Seles as a role model. Although most players hold the racket with one hand, both Sivan and Seles opt for a less traditional hold.

“I’m two hands on both sides, and she’s two hands on both sides also,” Sivan explained, as she demonstrated the grip with a spare racket. “I feel really comfortable, and that’s the way I’ve always done it.”

Sivan speaks with the same precision she demonstrates on the court and employs a vocabulary far beyond her age. Considering the honor student’s straight-A report card, that shouldn’t come as a surprise — except maybe to Sivan.

“She showed more excitement about getting straight A’s as an honor student than the excitement she’s even shown winning a tennis match,” her father explained.

Starting high school is an inherently stressful experience for anyone; however, with practice and tournaments on her plate, Sivan has had more to juggle than most. In fact, many of her opponents in professional matches are home-schooled and can devote far more time to practicing.

“I try to manage my time well,” she said. “But it’s hard.”

Still, she is able to find time for other interests. The self-described movie enthusiast names Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” as her favorite book and playing chess as another off-the-court hobby.

This past year, Sivan played on Westlake High’s girls tennis team, which she enjoys because it gives her extra practice and allows her to meet new people. Impressive considering how many of them she’s beat, winning 70 sets and going undefeated for the entire year. On top of that, she was named MVP of the year both for her school’s team and the Marmonte League, which is made up of schools from Ventura County.

“I’m pretty tough,” she said. “I try never to get down because of my own game.”

Despite the competitive nature of the game, Sivan has made a number of close friends through tennis. In fact, it is not unusual for her to be paired against a friend for a match, she said with a wry smile.

“You just walk on the court and forget you’re playing your friend,” she said. “When you walk off the court, you’re friends again.”

“I always fight for every point,” she said without hesistation. “My strategy is moving my opponents around the court.”

It’s a tactic that has served Sivan well. Particularly earlier this year when she won, for the second year in a row, the girls 14-and-under championship at the USTA’s 110th annual Ojai Valley Tournament — a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since the 1965-1966 tournament.

With tennis such a prominent part of Sivan’s life, she has been considering whether she wants to play collegiate tennis and continue on to play professionally. After all, she already was named a Blue Chip Recruit for 2013, the year she graduates high school, and will likely be pursued by college coaches based on that title. However, as she prepares to start her sophomore year at Westlake High, she also cites an interest in pursuing a career in medicine. After all, she explained, problem-solving strategies she has learned from tennis can apply outside the court as well.

“On the court, nothing is going to be easy, and that relates to life, too.”

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