TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

You’ve enjoyed an 11-4 start to this season, including a 6-1 start at the Buffalo/Bonaventure Fall Classic and the Volkl Shootout. Having a year under your belt, how important was it to get off to a good start to avoid a sophomore slump?
I think it was pretty important. I look at last year as a good start. I always look to improve every year, so I never even thought about slumping.

Last year, you finished the season 20-15 during your freshman year, playing mainly No. 3 singles. What was it like stepping into such a high role on the squad so soon?
I think I was ready. I expected to be close to the top. I had come off some good results in the summer and I knew I was ready for the competition.

You list as your greatest athletic achievement reaching the Canadian National Semifinals in 2003. What was that experience like?
That was a pretty amazing experience because I was unseeded going into the tournament. No one expected me to do as well as I did. It was just great.

You’ve stared down serves coming at you at 90-100 miles per hour. How much of reacting to a ball hit that hard is just reflex and how much is being able to guess?
A lot of it is a reflex. Sometimes, there’s an opponent where the serve is too fast and you can’t decide what to do with the ball, you just have to get it back. When it’s slower, you have more time to think about where you want to put the shot.

Part of what makes tennis unique is that you can play the game with another person on your side of the net or by yourself. What are some of the adjustments you need to make to be successful in doubles?
You need to be aggressive as a doubles player, especially on your service game and your partner’s singles game. You need to be able to hit volleys down to your opponent. You need to attack their weaknesses and you've got to play tough.

Some sportwriters have said that men’s tennis has lost some of its fan base because it seems the game is played baseline-to-baseline more than ever due to the hard serves and the hard returns. Are the days where a Michael Chang-type serve-and-volley player can win gone?
I would say yes and no. Yes because the game at the professional level has turned into power-power. Points are over quickly and baseline rallies (are frequent). There’s not a lot of variation. But then you have players like Roger Federer and Serena Williams who can do anything. At the net, at the back, they can play any style. I would say tennis is as exciting as ever.

Who is your favorite tennis player to watch?
My favorite tennis players are Serena Williams and Venus Williams because I love their attitude and their style.

Coming from Toronto to Buffalo, cities just an hour and a half away but, obviously, in different countries, what do you think are some of the biggest differences between life in Canada and the US?
I would say life in the US is about 10 times bigger than it is in Canada, especially with sports. In the states, you have whole towns and cities coming to high school football games. Everyone supports high school athletics. It’s nothing like that in Canada. It’s the same with college football and college sports. They are huge, probably bigger than the professional level in Canada. I feel everything is so much bigger here.

With a season that almost never ends, how have you been able to juggle academics with athletics and become a UB Scholar Athlete?
I balance my time really well. I know when I should be studying and I know when I should be concentrating on tennis. Focus is the main key.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB athlete?
Actually, my favorite moment just happened about a week ago. It wasn’t on the court, it was off the court. I came out of the closet. I’m gay. Just being out as an athlete—I know that there aren’t a lot of other athletes that are out that are gay. I feel like I have so much pride that I have chosen to do this. I’ve had tremendous support from my team and my coach and my friends and I’m ready to take it a step further and have my voice heard in public. That’s probably my biggest moment at UB.

“The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.