OhioTennisZone.com Interview
Sycamore's Nicholas Meyers is hoping for a State Championship this year. It may happen in singles, with the Sycamore team, or possibly both. (Neither is also a possibility, but let's not go there.) States is a familiar place for him. Meyers placed third last year in singles. He was a State Doubles Finalist in 2022, and he placed fourth in dubs in 2021.
"My main goal is to win team states and complete the three-peat which we’ve only done one time before. I’ve been very lucky to have the team I have with our depth. It’s very rare to have seven guys that can all play Court 1 at 90% of the other schools in Ohio. My other goal is to win individual States in singles as well. Definitely haven’t proved I’m a clear favorite by any means, but I hope to get my revenge on Carson Dwyer and Rishi Dore at States this week."
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Meyers at SW Districts - Click to enlarge |
Meyers started playing tennis early on. "I started playing tennis when I was about five and a half. I got started because my dad played squash and racquetball so we tried out tennis one time and never stopped since then."
Meyers has been a top junior player and his national rankings for his class have ranged from 117 on TennisRecruiting.net (as a sophomore) to 157 (as a junior). He currently has a national ranking of 142. He sports a 10.85 UTR which is essentially his high point (10.86). His UTR range is here.
In terms of Meyers' strategy and strengths, "My forehand is definitely my favorite shot. I love running kids side to side with it and using it to dictate every point I play. I also enjoy serving a ton, too, because it allows me to win free points and there isn’t a better feeling for me than hitting an ace." Meyers' average serve speed clocks in at 105mph. His high is about 125mph.
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At 2023 States - Click to enlarge |
For college, Meyers is staying in Ohio. "I picked Denison which is about 30 minutes to the right of OSU. I liked the team and especially the coach, David Schilling. He coached at OSU for 20 years as an assistant coach and has been at Denison for four years. He is all in for tennis and he loves helping everyone he knows get better at tennis. He has done a ton for me and my future teammates. I also like the campus and the smaller setting because I don’t enjoy colleges with 10,000+ students. Also, the academics are great and I will be able to make a ton of connections for a job when I get out of college. I was also considering Xavier, Cleveland State, and Case Western but none really felt like the right fit compared to Denison."
Meyers is an OTZ-approved math / science guy. His favorite AP was Stats. He has also taken BC Calc, Physics 1, and Micro and Macro Economics. He hopes to study financial economics at Denison.
His father is Ron and his mother is Lidija. Ron works for Phillips Edison. Meyers' mother plays tennis in a league. His brother, Jake, and sister, Natalie, are twins who are sophomores at Sycamore. They are involved with non-tennis activities (rock climbing for him and playing cello and harp for her).
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In 2021 - Click to enlarge |
As for the obligatory response about OhioTennisZone, Meyers stated, "I personally like reading the updates every day. It gives an easy way to know what happened with all the big matches around the state and what is upcoming for the rest of the season.".
Why play high school tennis? "Team aspect for sure. I play USTA the rest of the year where it’s only about me and nothing else and sometimes the tournaments can get lonely. However, with high school you can lose your match and still win as a team which I think is awesome. You have something to fight for other than yourself, and you're constantly surrounded by all your friends who are all trying to make each other better every day."
Coach Mike Teets shared this about Meyers. "Nick is an extremely hard worker who puts in hours every day. After our practice, he frequently hits serves or goes to a lesson. His dedication to being the best player possible is impressive! Along with his work ethic, Nick is a great teammate and seems to truly enjoy being a part of the team. He's got a great sense of humor and treats the younger players like friends, just like the guys his own age. We are lucky to have Nick and we wish him well as he continues his career at Denison!"
Meyers starts his trek at States on Thursday. Good luck!
