Joe Daidone and Nick Fernandez Pair Up to Help Aviators

Joe Daidone recalls riding his bike by the tennis courts when he was in middle school.

And when he was in sixth grade, he joined the Hasbrouck Heights tennis program. Ever since that time, Daidone has been playing tennis and teamed up with fellow senior Nick Fernandez this year and made it to the Bergen County semi-finals in the first doubles tourney before being knocked out by a pair from Pascack Hills. 

While Daidone and Nick Fernandez both fell to the Cowboys pair of Dylan Feinstein/Jake Steiner, 6-1, 6-3 in the county semis, it still has been a big season for the Aviators first doubles team as they finished with a 16-6 record.

"It just worked perfectly this year," said Fernandez who has worked with other doubles partners before having success with Daidone this season. "We don't fight where we belong."

Before this season the pair just played occasionally in practice, but not competitively against other schools.

But head coach Neal McCarthy decided to put them together this season and the rest is history. "We have different styles that complement each other," said Daidone. "I like playing back because I can see what is going on the court…He (Fernandez) has quick reflexes.”

Daidone, Fernandez and McCarthy all agree that the reason for the success is that while Daidone excels in the back court, Fernandez is great at the net. 

And the season continues for this pair this weekend as they are part of the state doubles tournament at Hamilton Township. Fernandez/Daidone will face a pair from Florence High School, Joe Malone and Arnold Petras.

For the pair just getting the invite in the state doubles tournament was impressive. "It's pretty exciting and Mr. McCarthy said that it is a great honor, no matter if we win or lose," said Fernandez.

For both Daidone and Fernandez the biggest doubles victory was two-straight set match win over the Secaucus pair of Daniel Kim and Shay Laro, 6-3, 6-4 at the beginning of May.

It was a great feeling for the Aviators pair because they had lost to the same doubles team earlier in the season at Secaucus, 6-3, 6-2. "Everything was working on that day," said Fernandez. "Joe was having a great day with his ground strokes and they (Secaucus) were making mistakes."

In terms of the Bergen County tournament, the Heights doubles team played hard and defeated some very good doubles teams including Lodi’s Kyle Boris and Harkamal Singh, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 in the county quarterfinals.

But against the Pascack Hills doubles it just wasn’t going to happen. "We needed to play a complete match and they just wanted it more that day," said Fernandez.

In terms of the future, Daidone said that he plans to attend Bergen Community College as he decides on his major and moving on to a bigger school. He’s undecided about his future with tennis, although he will always remember his senior year for Heights.

For Fernandez he will be looking to major in biology at Rutgers-New Brunswick. He said that he hopes to play intramural tennis.