All college coaches are given the same impossible task: transforming a group of unique individuals into a cohesive unit. 

Now, imagine that challenge when your players come not only from across the country but from all over the world. Such is the reality for tennis head coach Mike Gennette, who has coached over 100 international players during his 30-plus years at Cal Lutheran. 

Gennette believes the key is creating shared experiences that allow players to overcome language and other barriers. "People are people," he said. "If you spend enough time together in various situations, you start to bond."

Translating into wins

This year's Kingsmen roster featured players from four continents and six countries: the United States, France, Germany, Poland, Bolivia and China.

No. 1 singles player Ethan Sherwood, one of only two Americans on the roster, embraced his minority status. 

"I loved it," the senior from Thousand Oaks said of the team's global diversity. "It made it possible for me to meet a ton of interesting people and learn about different cultures. Plus, now if I ever visit Europe, I have a place to stay."

Sherwood and his doubles partner, Loup Sudre of Bordeaux, France, are - to borrow a term from wine country - the perfect blend. Both transferred to Cal Lutheran in their junior years and, despite vastly distinct upbringings, connected almost immediately. 

In fact, they knew of each other before arriving as both came from competing Division II programs: Sherwood from Hawaii Pacific and Sudre from St. Leo in Florida.

"We both were in similar situations where we were on good teams but in the bottom part of the lineup," Sherwood said. "We came to Cal Lutheran for an opportunity to play and make an immediate impact."

And make an impact, they did. The duo had a record of 22-14 over two seasons and were ranked as high as No. 9 in the West Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

"He's my roommate, my doubles partner and my best friend," Sudre said of Sherwood.

On the court, their styles are polar opposite. Sudre is outspoken with a knack for drop shots and a flair for the dramatic. Sherwood is intensely focused, delivering big serves and massive forehand winners. 

Sudre said Sherwood brought out the best in him, and vice versa. 

"The best thing about Ethan is he's really calm and relaxed on the court. I'm not really. I can go crazy sometimes" Sudre said. "You can just see it in his game. He's not overthinking, he's just playing. His experience is easy to see."

Embracing the team mindset

Though it isn't always apparent to the untrained eye, a tennis player's style can often be traced back to the country of origin. Take, for instance, Andy Ai, a graduating senior from Inner Mongolia in China. Unlike some of his more colorful European teammates, Ai said he is extremely introverted, and therefore less likely to show emotion on the court.

Ai is an interesting case study in the progression an international student can make at Cal Lutheran. The 21-year-old said when he first arrived in Thousand Oaks, he was strictly focused on tennis and working with his personal coach, eschewing team activities and other opportunities to bond with fellow Kingsmen.  

"I didn't really enjoy being on a team," he said. "I was a little depressed. I'd come from a tennis academy, which is different from a team. You don't have to listen to other people or work together, you just focus on yourself. My personality is very much staying by myself, so I didn't really adapt to that. I didn't see the point of it."

Concerned with how he was isolating himself, Gennette said he challenged Ai before the 2025 season to let his guard down and spend time getting to know his teammates. Ai said he learned more about one teammate during a single practice conversation than he had in the prior three years. 

"Before this season, I didn't consider any of the guys friends," he said. "Now they're all friends."

The same goes for Gennette, who said Ai is one of his favorite players. 

"I get him and he gets me," the coach said. 

Ai's embrace of his teammates produced results on the court. 

"I was a completely different player," he said. "And a completely different person."

Knocking down barriers

Overcoming cultural differences is not without its challenges. 

Players can use their phones and apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to stay connected to their home countries and avoid stepping outside their comfort zones. That's why Gennette instituted a no-cellphone policy during practices and required players to participate in weekly get-togethers, either at his home or at locations around town.

"You have your individual personalities in tennis, and you pair that up with international students coming from different cultures, and you have the danger of everyone doing their own thing," the head coach said. "It can be tough. But when we get everyone in the same place and force them to communicate, good things happen."

Another obstacle is the tendency of players to segregate according to nationality - the Germans with the Germans, the French with the French, etc. 

Sudre said he went out of his way to connect with teammates from other cultures by forcing himself to speak only English during the day.

"From what I've seen around tennis, most people want to stick to their culture, but for me personally, that's never been what I'm about," he said. "I really wanted to embrace getting to know people from all over the world."

One of the biggest challenges for a program representing six nations is deciding where to go for team meals. 

Sophomore Raphael Simon of Marseille, France, called it a "democracy," but said players typically default to the guy who had the best day on the court. Ai said he preferred Mexican food when he couldn't get Chinese.

When the debate became too great, players most often defaulted to two places: Chipotle and Chick-fil-A. 

"Chipotle and Chick-fil-A … the great unifiers," Sherwood laughed.

Becoming a team

Simon said having a fellow countryman like Sudre on the team helped him with his transition. Upon arriving in California, it was overwhelming, he said.

"Everything works completely differently here," Simon said. "In France, in university, you don't choose your classes. Here, I had like 1,000 classes to choose from. I had no idea what to take. So Loup helped me with that, and helped me choose my dorm."

Simon said going from a group of individuals to a real team is a process and doesn't happen overnight.

"I think we all have to adapt a little bit to each other. It's a pretty cool process, you learn a lot," he said. "We all have these crazy stories from back home." 

Sherwood, a Westlake High School grad, said he expects his friendship with Sudre to extend beyond their time at Cal Lutheran.

"I'm sure he'll hit me to come visit him in Europe," he said. "It's definitely something I'm looking forward to."

For Gennette, that's what it's all about. 

"These guys are going to have friends all over the world who they can connect with for the rest of their lives," he said. "That's bigger than tennis."