Before Duke senior Ludovic Walter even stepped into Ambler Tennis Stadium for the first time as a freshman in 2002, he already possessed a combination of impeccable discipline and a tenacious work ethic.
Throughout his career, he spent countless hours running, practicing volleys and lifting weights during his time in Durham. His hard work helped Walter elevate his game on his way to breaking the Blue Devils' all-time record of 119 career victories in singles play this past weekend.
"He has one of the best work ethics that can come through the program," head coach Jay Lapidus said. "Whenever he's on the court, you know he's trying to become better. You always feel like there's a purpose when he's on the court."
The senior from Vannes, France, who is ranked fourth nationally, is currently 121-39 in career singles matches and 25-8 this season. With his 120th win last weekend against Boston College's Soma Kesthely, Walter surpassed the record set by current assistant coach Ramsey Smith in 2001.
Smith, who gained notoriety playing in the second and third slots for Duke, recognized the magnitude of Walter's accomplishment at the top-ranked singles spot.
Before the start of this year's tennis season, both of them discussed the milestone.
"We started talking about it during the first practice, just joking about me beating his record and stuff like that," Walter said.
Smith closely monitored the progress of Walter's senior year, watching him turn the goal into a reality.
The senior, however, struggled in late September and early October, falling in the Southern Intercollegiate Championships in the second round and the All-American Tennis Championships in the third round.
One month later, Walter rebounded and went on a tear in the National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, defeating the nation's No. 5, No. 25 and No. 9 players consecutively in straight sets, which marked the turning point of his season.
"When I look at National Indoors, which is my benchmark, I served and volleyed and played aggressive," Walter said. "The key for me to play well is to be aggressive, to stay close to the baseline and take every opportunity to come to the net."
Against Florida's Ryan Sweeting in the quarterfinals of the National Men's Team Indoor Championships, Walter took the first set, but quickly fell behind, 6-1, in a second-set tiebreaker.
Despite facing five set points, Walter roared back and claimed the next eight points to put away his opponent.
"He always seems to be able raise his game in tight situations," Smith said. "That's how I differentiate between good players and great players. Even if he's losing, he finds a way."
Though Walter has proven to be a dominant force on the court, his humble demeanor and unwavering motivation have also affected those that surround him on the Blue Devils.
"He doesn't care about the individual things," Lapidus said. "He's very much about the team. When we struggled early [this year] in doubles, he just said, 'put me at three doubles, and I can hold it down in that spot.'"
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