A Mamba-like mentality: Terry Sanford's Drew Hedgecoe wins third straight singles title
Terry Sanford's Drew Hedgecoe is an anomaly on the tennis court, and has been for his entire tennis career as a Bulldog.
Over the weekend, Hedgecoe became the NCHSAA 3A singles state champion after defeating South Central freshman Shaw Akula 6-2, 6-3 for his third consecutive title, and he's only a junior. Now, he's in great company historically, and is on the verge of becoming just the second tennis player in NCHSAA history to win four straight singles championships when he returns for his senior season.
“Winning it this year, I think I’ll probably be the favorite to win it the next couple years," Hedgecoe told The Fayetteville Observer after his first title win in 2022 when he became just the fifth singles champion in Terry Sanford's rich tennis history.
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David Cheatwood, Hedgecoe's uncle, was the first to do it in 1995. Andy Orban (2002, 2005), Ryan Noble (2008) and Henry Lieberman (2017) were the other Bulldogs to win a state crown. Drew’s mother, Claire, helped the Bulldogs win four dual-team titles in a row from 1991-94 under legendary coach Gil Bowman. She also won a doubles championship in 1993.
"What separates him from his competition is his mental toughness," Coach Christopher Goodman said about his tennis star. During his tenure as a Bulldog, Drew has notched a perfect record at 53-0, and has never dropped a set in any match over a three-year span, proving himself to be one of the greats to play the game.
At the end of last season, Drew suffered a tendon injury, and played nearly the entire season less than 100%. "He suffered an injury about nine months ago, so he's been dealing with that all season. Over the last four or five matches in the playoffs, he began to get to his full strength and be Drew," Goodman said.
Drew's Mamba-like mentality has pushed him to heights that he's always known he can reach, but for him, the grind never seems to cease. Now that the tennis season is over, Drew is still looking to get better while playing for USTA league tournaments and capitalize on his errors from the season in order to complete a four-season sweep of the 3A title.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Drew Hedgecoe wins third state championship for Terry Sanford tennis
