AUBURN - When 17-year-old Dan Sullivan first stepped foot on the tennis courts for the Empire State Games last summer along with his doubles partner Mike Muraco, he really didn't know what exactly he was getting into.
“That was my first year,” Sullivan said. “I really just went to have fun. I didn't know what to expect. I knew we were going to be playing against the best in the state. But it was a lot of fun and we met a lot of people and had a really good time.”
This year he entered the summer games as a singles player in the scholastic division with a little more experience and a little more foresight as to just what the games were going to entail - a challenge that he certainly welcomed.
“It was really competitive,” Sullivan said. “The level of play as a singles player was a lot higher. And you have to rely on yourself a lot more when you are playing singles. These were still the best players in the state, so I still really didn't know exactly what to expect, but I had a little better idea. There were some real power players with big games; it was really competitive but still a lot of fun.”
Sullivan, a member of the Central team, which went 1-5 overall, earned himself two hard-fought victories while losing three tough matches in the second singles slot.
“I think I played all right Sullivan said. ”I won the first two and those other three were all really close and could've gone either way.“
Sullivan said that he first began to take an active interest in tennis when he was 13.
“My sister played in high school,” Sullivan said. “She used to take me to the Y field and we'd go hit balls and I just fell in love with it. There was something different about it. It was a very classy game, a gentleman's game and I really liked that aspect of it.”
Sullivan began to progress rapidly, first taking lessons at Champions For Life before going on to the Pine Grove Country Club and ultimately East Side Racquet Club in Manlius.
Each step of the way, Sullivan found a new level of his game.
“Champions For Life gave me my start,” Sullivan said. “Pine Grove helped me to build my game and East Side is largely responsible for where my game is now. I've taken a lot of private lessons and they have really helped me to work on my game. Each of those places has really taught me a lot.”
Sullivan has also made it a point to keep his game diverse, playing regularly with his sister and various friends.
“There is a group that I'll go to the Y field with and play in the afternoons,” Sullivan said. “And me and my sister will go and hit some balls down there. I think it is good to get used to different styles of games. Getting used to different players and different styles is important, I think it helps to make you a more complete player.”
Sullivan has also been trying out his skills with the USTA (United States Tennis Association) since he was 14.
“They usually host three tournaments a month,” Sullivan said. “I try to make it to as many of them as I can, usually in Rochester and Syracuse and places like that. I try to play in any tournament I can, I know it is going to be a high level of play and it is going to be a lot of fun.”
Sullivan has earned ranking in the USTA Eastern-Western Region.
A few months ago, before the Empire State Games, he had achieved the No. 1 position.
“I worked pretty hard,” Sullivan said. “I stopped playing in tournaments for a while to get ready for the games, so now I'm down to ninth, but it felt really good to make it to the No. 1 spot.”
For about a month before the games, Sullivan geared up running and biking as well as spending at least three days a week practicing his game to get ready.
With this kind of dedication, Sullivan hopes to take his game to the next level.
Sullivan, who will be a senior at Tyburn Academy this fall, is looking to eventually take his game to the collegiate courts.
“I'd like to play for a Division I school,” Sullivan said. “I've looked at Colgate and LeMoyne. I know people who have played collegiate tennis and they have said that it was a great experience. So I want to take my game to that level that is my next really big goal as a tennis player.”
This year he entered the summer games as a singles player in the scholastic division with a little more experience and a little more foresight as to just what the games were going to entail - a challenge that he certainly welcomed.
“It was really competitive,” Sullivan said. “The level of play as a singles player was a lot higher. And you have to rely on yourself a lot more when you are playing singles. These were still the best players in the state, so I still really didn't know exactly what to expect, but I had a little better idea. There were some real power players with big games; it was really competitive but still a lot of fun.”
Sullivan, a member of the Central team, which went 1-5 overall, earned himself two hard-fought victories while losing three tough matches in the second singles slot.
“I think I played all right Sullivan said. ”I won the first two and those other three were all really close and could've gone either way.“
Sullivan said that he first began to take an active interest in tennis when he was 13.
“My sister played in high school,” Sullivan said. “She used to take me to the Y field and we'd go hit balls and I just fell in love with it. There was something different about it. It was a very classy game, a gentleman's game and I really liked that aspect of it.”
Sullivan began to progress rapidly, first taking lessons at Champions For Life before going on to the Pine Grove Country Club and ultimately East Side Racquet Club in Manlius.
Each step of the way, Sullivan found a new level of his game.
“Champions For Life gave me my start,” Sullivan said. “Pine Grove helped me to build my game and East Side is largely responsible for where my game is now. I've taken a lot of private lessons and they have really helped me to work on my game. Each of those places has really taught me a lot.”
Sullivan has also made it a point to keep his game diverse, playing regularly with his sister and various friends.
“There is a group that I'll go to the Y field with and play in the afternoons,” Sullivan said. “And me and my sister will go and hit some balls down there. I think it is good to get used to different styles of games. Getting used to different players and different styles is important, I think it helps to make you a more complete player.”
Sullivan has also been trying out his skills with the USTA (United States Tennis Association) since he was 14.
“They usually host three tournaments a month,” Sullivan said. “I try to make it to as many of them as I can, usually in Rochester and Syracuse and places like that. I try to play in any tournament I can, I know it is going to be a high level of play and it is going to be a lot of fun.”
Sullivan has earned ranking in the USTA Eastern-Western Region.
A few months ago, before the Empire State Games, he had achieved the No. 1 position.
“I worked pretty hard,” Sullivan said. “I stopped playing in tournaments for a while to get ready for the games, so now I'm down to ninth, but it felt really good to make it to the No. 1 spot.”
For about a month before the games, Sullivan geared up running and biking as well as spending at least three days a week practicing his game to get ready.
With this kind of dedication, Sullivan hopes to take his game to the next level.
Sullivan, who will be a senior at Tyburn Academy this fall, is looking to eventually take his game to the collegiate courts.
“I'd like to play for a Division I school,” Sullivan said. “I've looked at Colgate and LeMoyne. I know people who have played collegiate tennis and they have said that it was a great experience. So I want to take my game to that level that is my next really big goal as a tennis player.”
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