However, when his teammates found out that he is left-handed even though he played against them with his right, they viewed him as arrogant, leading to a jealous teammate injuring his left arm. Despite having made a promise to Shuichiro Oishi that he would lead Seigaku to the Nationals, Tezuka decided to quit the tennis club because he did not want to be on the same team with people who used their racquets to hurt others. Nonetheless, his skills were recognized by then-captain Yūdai Yamato, who wanted Tezuka to become Seigaku's "pillar of support", and entrusted him with the dream of going to the Nationals, which convinced Tezuka to stay. During that same year, Shusuke Fuji defeated Tezuka in a private tennis match, but Fuji was displeased with the outcome after learning about Tezuka's injury, promising to play him again after his arm heals. Over time, Tezuka secured a regular spot on the team despite being a first-year. By his second year, he became the team's vice-captain and defeated Hyotei Academy's captain during a tournament. Despite not being at full strength due to his injury leading to chronic problems, and his sealing of a powerful technique that required the use of his left arm, Tezuka eventually became known as a National-level tennis player. He was invited to an elite tennis training camp, but due to persistent arm pain, he declined the invitation without explanation to the organization. Personality Tezuka's personality remains consistent throughout the series as he is always serious about everything he does, especially his duties as captain of the tennis team. Despite being very strict, he is fair and sticks to his word, punishing everyone even if the rules are broken by only a few. He would often make the entire team run laps when they break the rules and one of his trademark phrases is . He is determined to lead his team to the Nationals, which often results in him ignoring his doctor's warnings against him playing in arduous tennis matches – considering his health secondary to the team's success, and continuing to risk re-injury in his matches to ensure their victory. Tezuka even risks it all during a match against Ryoma since he sees the boy as the one to succeed him as the team's new "pillar of support." Also, no matter the situation, he is shown to be rather inexpressive, never changing his stoic