DeKALB — Redshirt freshman Kristopher Ortega has been a strong leader for the men’s tennis team as he has played in the No. 1 spot for NIU in singles competition.

Ortega joined NIU after transferring from the University of Illinois. His Huskie career started slow as he had to rehab from suffering a stress fracture in his right femur over the summer.

Once the injury healed, Ortega posted a 7-5 overall record in the fall competing at the No. 4 and No. 3. Ortega leads the Huskies in wins and has climbed his way to an 11-5 record.

Q: What are your overall thoughts on the season thus far?

A: This team has been very good. I think we’re tied for second in the MAC, and we really haven’t hit our stride yet, and there isn’t a better time than now to do that.

Q: What got you interested in tennis?

A: When I was 5 years old, my dad introduced me to the game. I started hitting balls in the basement with a junior-sized racket and kind of just fell in love. He played in high school and so did my mom. They just thought I should start with tennis and see where it goes from there, and I ended up liking it so much I didn’t play anything else.

Q: If you weren’t playing tennis, what sport would you play?

A: My build is best for tennis, I think. I tried soccer a little bit when I was 6 or 7. I wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t much of a team sport kind of a guy. I like relying on myself, so maybe another sport that is solo based.

Q: What’s an interesting fact most people don’t know about yourself?

A: I actually enjoy racing RC cars. You race them around the track, off road, on road and jumps and stuff. It’s actually a really competitive hobby of mine that I do.

Q: What are your greatest strengths, and what do you need to improve on?

A: On court, my biggest strength is my backhand and mental toughness. I think in a lot of my matches I’ve lost the first set, and I’ve come back to win. I think my mental toughness is a huge asset and my backhand on saves. I just need to keep my net play going. I need to come in more.

Q: What did you think when you were moved to the No. 1 spot in singles play?

A: It was the greatest feeling. I started at the four, and the plan was to keep moving up and up and up, and when I got there, I felt like I had a lot of responsibility now that I’m at the top spot.

Q: What’s been the biggest difference in your game from the fall season?

A: Just confidence. Last April, I stress fractured my right femur, and I couldn’t move and couldn’t play tennis for months. I really had little to no playing time. Going into the fall, I didn’t have that much training or many matches under my belt, so I really struggled at the beginning of fall.

Q: How has the leadership from the seniors on the team helped you?

A: They’re great. I remember at [University of Illinois] I was close to the seniors, but I also lived in the dorms. Here I live right next to them, so I’m able to see them a lot more, and I think just being closer with them has helped my overall attitude. I’m with them day in and day out more off the court. I think here hanging out with the older guys has helped me see what they do, what they do well.

Q: What’s your favorite non sport hobby and why?

A: RC racing is definitely up there, but I think video games. Currently Fortnite is my favorite game for now, but of course, Call of Duty is up there as well.

Q: Why do you like playing at NIU?

A: I transferred from [University of Illinois] where the playing time wasn’t as good. Coming here I liked [Fisher] ,and our assistant coach is great, too. When I made the visit here I loved the guys right away. They were passionate about tennis, and we all clicked right away. So that was an easy decision, and after being here for a few weeks, I knew this was the place for me.