The ultimate competitor, Lincoln’s Will Semler is The Oregonian/OregonLive boys tennis player of the year

At the tennis state championships, Lincoln’s Will Semler saw himself battling in every moment in the finals against Southridge’s Vitomir Petcov.

The two were locked in a battle that saw both the first and second sets go into the tiebreaker.

And even if Semler isn’t right where he wants to be skill-wise, competing in high-pressure situations is what he lives for.

It’s where Semler is at his best.

“I love to fight. Just it’s all competing for me,” Semler said after winning his third Class 6A state championship in May. “I’m just here to fight.” And it’s that competitive spirit that’s brought Semler to stand among the top of Oregon’s all-time great tennis players. This spring, he became just the 13th to win three boys singles state championships.

That competitive spirit of Semler, who is committed to play collegiately in San Diego, goes well beyond just the tennis court. Lincoln coach Stuart Allen said Semler is laser focused at all times.

“He works all the time,” said Allen. “He eats well, he makes his own dinners.”

Allen said he went to Semler’s house the night before the 2024 state championships finals and found that Semler’s room is mostly empty except for the 2022 and 2023 state championship medals he won.

“Of all the accolades he has achieved over the years and all the good things he’s done over the years, the only two things on his wall were the last two state championship trophies,” Allen said. “Bare room, nothing but two state championship trophies.”

Allen said it’s a testament to how much Semler puts into the sport he loves.

That level of commitment included a major overhaul of the way he approaches tennis this spring. After his championship match, he said his 2024 spring season was perhaps the hardest of his career.

“This was the most special one because I had the most pressure on me to repeat it,” he said, “and I had probably the hardest year of development to basically change my game.”

Outside of his personal achievements, Semler has also had a major impact on the Lincoln tennis program. The Cardinals won the 2022 team state championship when Semler won the singles title as a sophomore.

Last spring, Lincoln was one point away from runner-up Sunset (West Linn won the title that season) and this year the Cardinals were in third once again (Jesuit won the title).

But Semler’s involvement with the program was a big part of getting the Cardinals their first state championship since 1988.

Allen added that Semler’s involvement in Lincoln tennis has been program changing. While Semler is going to be graduating this spring, his brother, Tiger Semler, is a sophomore and made it to the state quarterfinals this year. In fact, the younger Semler took Petcov to three sets (6-4, 0-6, 6-3) just a day before older brother faced him in the finals.

“You see the bond between those two. But to see for these other kids to watch how much he works and to see like, ‘Gosh, he’s good.’ But he deserves everything because he puts the work in,” Allen said. “You don’t really see it at first glance, but I see it and I think they’re starting to see it now. So it’s pretty inspiring. Quite a legacy.”

The Player of the Year award was selected by the Oregonian/OregonLive staff and contracted freelancers who cover the games.

— Nik Streng, nstreng@oregonian.com, @NikStreng

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More athlete of the year content

• Girls golf (announced May 23)
• Boys golf (announced May 24)
• Girls track and field (announced May 28)
• Girls tennis (announcing June 6)
• Baseball (announcing June 8)
• Softball (announcing June 9)