In final season together, Nadzan sisters steer Baldwinsville tennis
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As Baldwinsville’s girls’ tennis team warmed up before its second match of the season, a Sept. 4 contest against West Genesee, three of the squad’s most important figures were conspicuously absent from the courts.
Mira Nadzan, a Baldwinsville senior, huddled adjacent to the courts, staring at a clipboard. So did her sister, Sonia Nadzan, a sophomore. The pair listened intently to their head coach, Paul Maestri, as they discussed how to attack the Wildcats.
“They’re always open to comments,” Maestri said of Mira and Sonia. “We’re always communicating — as almost colleagues — about how to attack the match, how to break down weaknesses of the other player and figure out ways to win.”
Maestri, a former collegiate tennis player at Le Moyne in the late 1980s, has led the Bees for 21 years. Over the past several seasons, he said he’s watched the sisters come into their own. As of Sept. 9, Mira is the Tennis Recruiting Network’s No. 25 class of 2027 prospect in New York, while Sonia is the state’s No. 24 prospect in the class of 2029.
At this point, Maestri doesn’t view the two as just players. They’re equal partners.
“Mira’s like having a coach on the court,” he said. “Sonia’s another coach on the court.”
Mira Nadzan pulls back to serve in a match for Baldwinsville High School. Nadzan is unsure of her plans after her final tennis season with the Bees, but she hopes to play collegiately and pursue a medical career. Courtesy of Nisha Singh
The sisters’ tireless pre-match preparation has paid dividends. They’re undefeated through four singles matches this season, leading the Bees to a 4-0 start after they finished 25-3 in the last two years. They shine on the court, but they’ve made a significant impact off it, too.
The sisters were named two of Baldwinsville’s four captains this season. As the older of the two, Mira has especially grown.
“Being the older one, I do really pick on what goes wrong and what goes right,” she said. “I think that’s the perfectionist in me.”
It’s been a long journey for the sisters to get to where they are, one that was forged through family. Their mother, Nisha Singh, began playing tennis at age 7 and ultimately played collegiately at MIT. She knew she wanted to impart that same love of the sport to her children, which she made clear to her husband, Joseph Nadzan.
“We’re gonna have kids. We’re gonna get them into tennis young,” Singh recalled saying.
After Mira and Sonia were born, Singh thought to herself: “Oh, this is perfect. They can play doubles.”
Years later, her prophecy came true. Mira and Sonia were introduced to tennis young — so young, in fact, that they have no recollection of anything before.
Mira’s like having a coach on the court. Sonia’s another coach on the court.Paul Maestri, Baldwinsville High School head coach
They both tried other sports as they grew up; Mira played soccer, and Sonia played basketball. But when push came to shove, they ended up back on the tennis courts.
“I think I really fell in love with (tennis) when I was around 9 or 10,” Sonia said. “I realized that I didn’t want to play basketball, because of how much I loved tennis.”
The sisters do far more than just tennis together, though. They participate in a local orchestra and study side by side after school. They know each other better than anyone, giving them a distinct advantage on the court, Maestri said.
Together, they’ve become singles stars and a formidable doubles pair — just like Singh predicted.
“After we get off the court, it’s just back to being normal sisters,” Sonia said. “(We) just talk about everything else in our lives.”
At any of their matches, Singh — who’s a doctor — cheers them on. She’s their “biggest supporter,” Mira said, though she leaves the coaching to Maestri. Outside of the occasional pointer, she’s a spectator.
But as Mira and Sonia play their final season together at Baldwinsville, the sisters — who aim to pursue collegiate tennis careers and medical careers like their mother — could never discount her wisdom.
“She’s such an inspiration,” Mira said of Singh. “She’s so ambitious and so hardworking, and that’s exactly what you want in a player: somebody who’s gonna give it all and have grit, no matter what. I feel like I carry that on the court.”
In just a few months, Mira and Sonia will be divided for the first time in a long time. Mira will head to college. Sonia will continue to lead the Bees.
Once they’re back together, though, it’ll likely feel like they were never apart.
“Having a sister, she’s like my built-in best friend,” Mira said. “I got so lucky.”
