Living in Texas, Chai Aduru had not heard about Case Western Reserve when then assistant men’s tennis coach Ben McClarren reached out to him during his junior year in high school. That contact led Chai, and eventually his younger brother Vish, to attend the University.
“He was the first person from any college to reach out to me. I remember my visit wasn’t at a great time because it was fall break and only Jon Powell and Neil Mabee (for a day) from the team were there. (Head men’s tennis coach) Todd (Wojtkowski) talked my ear off about what kind of player I could be and my potential,” he recalled. “It was hard to say no to a guy who told me what he did, someone who sees more in you than you see in yourself. I wanted to be at a school with good academics and a program that took tennis seriously.”
“Chai going there was a big factor in me attending Case. Todd reached out and I immediately could tell how much he cared about the program and the people in it. Seeing Chai there and seeing how much he enjoyed it showed me that I could be a part of that as well,” Vish remarked. “One of the things that stood out to me when I visited was how intense the practices were, but that they guys were having fun. You would think it would be one or the other, but it wasn’t there. I wanted to surround myself by that in life and in tennis, enjoying the brotherhood together. I could tell it was a family that I wanted to be a part of.”
Being on the team together enhanced what ended up being a great experience for the brothers, who won a state title in doubles in high school. “It was phenomenal having him there. His first year was during COVID so he didn’t get the whole experience, but quarantining within ourselves brought everyone on the team so close,” Chai stated. “Vish and I lived together. To be able to share the experience of being part of that team with your brother was invaluable for our relationship. When you are in the midst of it, it can be hard to appreciate because you are so locked in on wins and being the best you can be. Being able to stay around the team and help coach during my gap year was an experience not many people get with a team that was already so close. I wouldn’t change any of my time there for the world.”
“We lived together my first two years. We were constantly around each other and having people over. It was just like being younger and always together,” Vish described. “In my senior year when he went off to medical school, I really appreciated what we had. It was still a great team, but just a little different with life moving on. What we did together was awesome and it was definitely worth it to go to the same college.”
Chai is currently in medical school at Baylor. “I am having a great time. I learned a lot of time management from tennis, specifically being part of Todd’s team to train so hard and still do well in school. Med school is hard, but I don’t feel overwhelmed,” he explained. “I am still trying to figure out what to specialize in, but I enjoy studying the brain so perhaps neurology or psychiatry.”
Vish did not follow Chai back to Texas, instead moving to Boston in October where he is working in tech consulting for Accenture. “I am enjoying it and have met a good group of people. I was worried about being in a new city without my teammates. Working is less stressful than being an undergrad. I was exerting a lot more effort then. I am able to frame everything with the balance that I learned at Case.”
Although Chai was helping coach in Vish’s junior year, he was not able to attend the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championship final when the Spartans captured the first NCAA title in school history. “My teams lost in back-to-back finals, but seeing Vish and his class win it was a storybook ending for me even though I wasn’t part of it. It was like a redemption for the guys on the team from those back-to-back losses,” Chai said.
“Winning the NCAA title was not just for me and our team, but for Chai and everyone who got us there. Todd always reminded us that we were not just playing for who was on the team now, but for everyone who was part of the program,” Vish expressed.