Beneath the intense glare of a set of stadium lights at Cuesta Park, an intense match of singles tennis is in full swing. The sounds of tennis balls bouncing against rackets and tennis shoes screeching against coarse pavement can be heard from around the park. At last, the noise dies down, but there is no clear winner. Instead, the opponents embrace and laugh with one another as they exit the court. 

This may have appeared odd to any onlooking spectators, however for senior Hannah Ghaffari and sophomore Melody Ghaffari, who currently hold the first and second single spots on the varsity girls tennis team, it has led to the discovery of how significant both tennis and their sisterhood really is in their lives. By training together for the past 10 years, the sisters have been able to improve their tennis skills while also strengthening their personal bond. 

Hannah and Melody started off playing both soccer and tennis when they were in elementary school. However, watching their older sister Nadia Ghaffari play tennis helped to spark their primary interest. They eventually chose to quit soccer and joined the Mountain View Tennis Club, where they began playing tennis exclusively. 

“Nadia was definitely a good inspiration for us,” Hannah said. “We would always watch her play and thought it was a fun sport we wanted to play someday.” 

As they gradually improved their skills over the years, Hannah and Melody wanted to start playing competitively. They began playing in tournaments, as doubles teammates in some and opponents in others. Either way, win or lose, the sisters always joke around to help cheer each other up. 

Joining the varsity tennis team at Los Altos High School was the obvious next step forward in their tennis careers. Since Nadia was a top singles player on the team a couple years prior, the sisters were already aware of what it took to make the team. Since then, they’ve gotten more chances to bond with each other and other teammates. 

“Generally, it’s just really fun being part of a team,” Melody said. “It’s an extra opportunity to stay with Hannah along with forming different friendships with other players.” 

Next year, Melody will continue to play on the school team, while Hannah plans on playing recreationally in college while pursuing either biotechnology or biomedical engineering. Although this is the final year they’ll be on the team together, the sisters still intend to remain close and hope they end up at colleges near each other.   

“I’ve had such a great time playing with Hannah, and I’ll miss her next year,” Melody said. “I definitely want us to continue to be close and humorous.” 

Despite strange coronavirus conditions, both Hannah and Melody are happy that they are able to play their last tennis season together. Although there isn’t an opportunity for the team to move up a league this year, the sisters still believe this season is an important opportunity for team bonding.

“This season is more about practicing and getting to know new team members,” Hannah said. “We’re just trying to make this season feel as normal as possible and I think we’ve done a good job so far.”