Shabaz turns a corner

Virginia freshman Michael Shabaz hasn’t really thought about how many pounds he’s dropped since the fall.
However, UVa coach Brian Boland has a pretty good idea.
“It has to be over 25,” Boland said. “For sure.”
Shabaz, who’s listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, wasn’t exactly Fat Albert prior to his weight loss. But he was just enough out of shape that it was affecting his performance and preventing him from playing to his potential.
That is no longer the case.
The Fairfax native, who has a 13-6 singles record, has won his last four matches. On Friday in Tulsa, Okla., Shabaz will be a key at No. 5 singles as top-seeded Virginia plays No. 16 Michigan in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 16.
The quarterfinals of the tournament are scheduled for Sunday, followed by the semis on Monday and the championship on Tuesday night (which will air on ESPNU).
Shabaz, who will be helping Virginia gun for its first-ever NCAA title, can’t wait to get going.
“This is why players play college tennis,” said Shabaz in a telephone interview from Tulsa. “You want to play on the biggest stage. I really enjoy playing on the biggest stage and I’m looking forward to it. I think the atmosphere is going to be great this week.”
Shabaz wasn’t overweight because of laziness or lack of motivation. Prior to enrolling at Virginia, he was unable to play competitively because he needed to sit a requisite amount of time in order to become NCAA eligible.
When he finally arrived in Charlottesville, a broken finger hindered him.
“He was way overweight when he came here in the fall,” Boland said, “but we expected that. He was focusing on his academics and not in a high-level training program before he arrived.
“To his credit, he went out and worked hard — did extra runs late at night and early in the morning, hit the weight room, did some things that really have paid off and will make a difference as we move into the final 16.”
Shabaz, who grew up idolizing Andre Agassi — they both have Iranian heritage — says the weight loss has really made a difference for him.
“I feel fitter on the court, like I can get to a lot more balls,” he said. “It allows you to stay in the point longer because in general I like to pull the trigger pretty quick in points.
“Now I have the ability to grind a few more balls and wait for the right ball to attack. It helps me a lot.”
That’s precisely what Shabaz was able to do on Sunday in his 6-2, 6-1 demolition of Penn State’s Eddie Bourchier.
“He’s moving better,” Boland said. “He’s always been one of the best ball strikers in the world as a junior player. It was just a matter of getting himself in position. Having to carry that extra weight around made a difference.”
Shabaz says he has no special tips for how he lost all his weight.
There was no Atkins Diet. No Special K Challenge. No NutriSystem.
Just a whole lot of sweat.
“The key was the repetition — just doing the workouts over and over and over,” Shabaz said. “There were a lot of two-a-days.
“I was just trying to get into the best shape that I could.”
In addition to his strong play in singles, Shabaz — who won a Wimbledon doubles title as a junior — has made a big impact in doubles. He has a 23-6 record on the season playing primarily with Dom Inglot and Sanam Singh. He’s won his last four matches with Inglot.
Boland believes one of the keys for Shabaz — in addition to becoming more fit — has been soaking in knowledge from Virginia seniors Somdev Devvarman, Treat Huey and Ted Angelinos.
“There is just no better environment that I can think of sending a young man into,” Boland said. “He’s taken full advantage of the opportunity and has learned from guys on the team.
“But they’ve learned from him, too. I mean he’s a young man who has a better understanding of tennis than any first-year I’ve ever coached.”