Q&A: Pembroke Hill’s Nicholas Dunn shares favorite tennis memories

What is a memorable moment you have from your time playing tennis?

My most memorable moment playing tennis was winning second place in the individual district tournament in 2024, which qualified me for state. During the district semifinals, the winner would advance to the state tournament.

The first set was extremely close. Even worse, I kept missing. The score was 6-6, and we were playing a long tiebreaker. Every point was minutes long. My opponent was very consistent. If he could touch the ball with his racquet, it came back. I knew that in order to win the point, I had to step up. I had to hit a shot so good that he could not touch it. After building up enough courage, I managed to win the tiebreaker.

Barely winning the first set, my right quad started cramping. At first it was tolerable but certainly a nuisance. I reminded myself to hydrate constantly, hoping that the cramp would subside. Unfortunately, it did not. Not only did the pain grow, but it also spread to my right calf which began to immobilize me. I kept fighting. The score was 5-4, and I only needed one more game to win.

At this moment, the level of pain went from tolerable to excruciating. Suddenly, my left leg, too, erupted in agony. … I knew that, given that my body wouldn’t cooperate, the only way to win the match would be to change my strategies and start playing aggressively. Slowly, I miraculously won three points in a row. The score was 40-love. I had three chances to win one point and qualify for state. … I smashed the ball to the left and seemingly against all odds, I hit a huge shot in—a shot that not even he could touch.

... For me, I must credit Coach Hanover for all of the valuable lessons he’s taught me. He teaches me more than how to hit a tennis ball. He teaches me to focus on mental toughness and how to bounce back from setbacks. He instills his wisdom in me, and I am very fortunate to have such a great coach whose lessons have given me the opportunity to win close matches like these, which I will remember forever.

Do you have any plans to continue playing after high school? Any college plans?

College tennis has long been a dream of mine, and my choices from many years ago to make tennis one of my top priorities have certainly made it a possibility.

What advice would you give junior players hoping to take their tennis skills to the next level?

Give everything you do your full effort. Be resilient, and do not be afraid of losing. Tennis taught me to persevere even during the most challenging matches. Because of that, my partner and I were able to win first place at the 2024 MICDS Tournament of Champions in St. Louis.

Let your passion and your drive for winning take over any doubts that linger in your mind. Commitment and dedication are not how much time you spend on something. Rather, they’re about how hard you work during the limited time that you have. And this doesn’t only pertain to sports. This is a fundamental principle in life.

Life only progressively gets busier and to keep up, doing less is almost never an option. You must do more and be more efficient. If you sleep more, your tennis will improve. If you work faster, you can practice more often. If you master time management, you can handle life’s hardest challenges. You will almost never see results instantly.

Stay true to your word, your goal and your passion. And one day, when you least expect it, every ounce of hard work will pay off.

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