Senior Jonathan Stokke capped his Duke regular-season career with a critical upset against Virginia in the ACC finals, but behind his quiet and calm exterior, he is just a fun-loving guy off the court.
"He's actually like a five-year old off the court," senior teammate Stephen Amritraj said. "Stokke can always joke around. He is the best teammate I've ever had and one of my best friends off the court."
One of Amritraj's fondest memories of Stokke has been his eating habits.
Cattleman's Steak House, an off-campus eatery that used to accept food points for delivery, became an immediate obsession for the senior.
"Stokke ordered Cattleman's steak and fruit punch for four months," Amritraj said. "That's all he ate."
But at the end of last year, Cattleman's stopped delivering to Duke's campus.
"The kid didn't know what to do," Amritraj said.
It wasn't the first time the senior had unusual eating habits, either. Stokke, who is from Chapel Hill, had quirky eating patterns during his freshman year, too.
"I had Armadillo two to three days a week," Stokke said. "Really, that's what I was known for."
Though his taste for unhealthy food became a joke among his friends, the freshman Stokke cut down on his favorite meals to get into better shape.
"A lot of people say that tennis is all in your legs," Stokke said.
Throughout his four years at Duke, Stokke has worked on his physical conditioning and now, at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds is in peak shape, head coach Jay Lapidus said.
"He's one of the best, if not the best athlete I've ever had on my team," Lapidus said. "Physically, he's imposing because he's big, he's strong and he's fast. [Stokke] could've played any sport he wanted-thankfully he played tennis."
When the senior played No. 5 singles as a freshman, he was one-dimensional and made a lot of unforced errors, Lapidus said.
Since then, he has moved up to the No. 2 singles spot and earned one of the top doubles positions.
"He's got a lot more consistent off the ground," Lapidus said. "He can find his way up to the net and gets enough balls in play now. He plays a little bit better defense, which enables him to play better offense."
In his senior season, Stokke has shined in tournament competition. He posted 15 wins in 22 singles matches and an impressive 11-3 record in doubles contests, playing alongside junior Joey Atas.
The pinnacle of Stokke's career, however, was his performance in the ACC Championships Sunday, which earned him Most Valuable Player honors.
"In the last few matches, he's really raised his game," assistant coach Ramsey Smith said.
Entering the championship game against Virginia as the 58th-ranked player in the country, Stokke upset No. 45 Rylan Rizza, who defeated Duke's top player Ludovic Walter handily one week earlier.
But besides achieving an impressive record this season, Stokke has assumed a leadership role for the Blue Devils this season.
A day earlier against Florida State, many of the Blue Devils were in the middle of tight matches when a rain delay halted competition for several hours.
During the tense period, the usually reserved Stokke gathered his teammates around him and said, "I just want to let you guys know that I refuse to lose."
To his teammates, however, Stokke is more than a competitive tennis player that can serve and volley or chip and charge.
"He's brought a level of class to the program," Lapidus said. "He carries maturity and classiness on the court. He's been a great leader for us this year, certainly one of the guys that everyone looks up to. We're No. 3 in the country and he's a big part of it."
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