University of Tennessee Athletics
Catching Up with Matt Brewer
November 20, 2009 | Men's Tennis
Nov. 20, 2009
Beginning his final year with the Vols, senior Matt Brewer recently wrapped up his best fall season of his career.
Brewer finished with 8-5 record through five tournaments, which included one semifinal and one quarterfinal appearance. He also defeated two of the three ranked opponents he faced.
Last season, Brewer earned a spot in the Vols' team lineup and finished 13-11 in dual matches, playing primarily from the No. 5 position. He picked up steam as the spring season continued, winning four of his final five matches. A few months later, he was a finalist at the ITA Summer National Championships.
With the team season still two months away, Brewer discusses the team's depth, a little geography and the Thanksgiving holidays in this week's Q&A.
Q: You played in the All-American qualifying earlier in the fall. What did it mean for you to get so close to the main draw?
A: It was really exciting for me to play in the All-American qualifying because I got the wild card for doing so well this summer in Indiana. Even though I came up short, I won some great matches the first two rounds. My opponent in the third round (Duke's Henrique Cunha) is definitely going to be a top-10 player and will be competing for a national championship at the end of the year. I think if we play Duke, then J.P.'s definitely going to take care of him.
Q: So, you finished the fall with an 8-5 record. Did you have any expectations that you'd play this well coming into the semester?
A: College tennis is a lot about getting matches under your best and competing at that level. Last year, I had some success in dual matches, and I got a lot of confidence. The training that I've gotten through Coach Winterbotham and Coach Woodruff has really paid off, especially this being my senior year.
Q: As far as your game, what differences do you notice specifically from this year and, say, this time last year?
A: This year, my serve is definitely a lot bigger than it was. My strength in the weight room has improved a lot. We've really been focusing on fitness off the court. I've had three guys default to me during a match because they've had full-body cramps. That's a great thing, to know that I'm physically tough enough to outlast an opponent.
Overall, I think mental toughness and playing consistently throughout the year is something that I'm really going to need to improve on, something I've been working on in the past.
Q: Everyone I've talked to this year has mentioned how deep the roster is this year. Would you like to weigh in on that?
A: This year, I definitely think we have the chance to be one of the best college teams in the country. Last year, we did really well in the doubles and the singles. We'll probably have Matteo Fago playing in the lower half of lineup, and he's somebody who really didn't lose a match in the SEC his first two years here -- he's lost only two matches in two years. That's unheard of for a college team, especially in the SEC.
I'm really excited to see what kind of results we're going to put together, and what we're going to do.
Q: Would you say this is the best team you've been on since you've been here?
A: For sure. J.P. Smith is going to be No. 1 in the country, and we currently have the best doubles team too. We'll probably have four or five ranked guys in the lineup in the spring. It's an exciting time to be a University of Tennessee tennis player.
Q: Changing gears here: how did you end up picking geography as a major?
A: I wanted to do something in science, but biology and chemistry didn't look like they'd work out, just because of the amount of labs that I would have to miss due to travel. My dad is an engineer, and my mom is in history, so I kind of took the best of both worlds.
Q: One last question: with Thanksgiving coming up, what are your plans?
A: I've gotten pretty attached to my girlfriend, Allison. We've been dating for two years, so I'm going to go to her house in Crossville and will have a great time with her family.
Players Mentioned
