Personal Statement
Hi, my name is Daniel Luptak, I am 17 years old and I have been playing tennis since I was 7 years old. As soon as I stepped on the court I knew this was my passion, and what I wanted to pursue in my life.
In 5th grade art class, we made clay cocoons and inside we put a small piece of paper with our dreams on it. Some kids noted they wanted to become president, or to go to the moon, however I put that I wanted to become a professional tennis player. My hopes and dreams have not diminished any more than they were 6 grades ago, and I feel college tennis is a huge step in the right direction for me.
I enjoy tennis, and everything about it. I am always ready when anyone at any level wants to play, and I am always on time and ready to give my 100 percent effort to a practice. One quote that always stays in my mind is: "The most important day in your life is when you are born, the second most important day in your life, is finding out what you were born to do." This quote inspires me every day to go out and compete to my fullest ability and no matter what happens, keep my head up and keep persevering.
I was overweight through my early teen years, and it was affecting my tennis movement and physical capabilities. One day I went out on the court and after a short period of tough drills, I got tired, out of breath, and dizzy. For the next few months I made it my obligation to lose weight. I set a nutrition plan, increased my exercise frequency, and gave 110% commitment to my fitness coach, and the results started to come. In 9th grade I weighed 188 pounds, and now, in 11th grade I'm standing at 146 pounds, and I feel great! Fitness has become something I enjoy doing daily, and not only is it helping me feel better, but my tennis is improving tenfold.
When I played 10 and under tournaments, I was in the top 40 in the state. I had great results, and I was constantly competing. I spent much of my subsequent years switching coaches and while they were changing my techniques, they took me out of tournaments. I initially played 2 hands on my forehand and backhand, then I changed to 1 hand forehand and 2 hand backhand, and now I have settled with 1 hand on both sides.
Last year, I found a great coach who is from France, who knows me very well, and knows what I need to do to improve; he has changed my form and my game completely. My game is finally falling into place and I’m back in the tournament circuit. Last year I played up an age group to 18 and under tournaments, and in only 7 tournaments I reached the top 200 in the state. I am currently ranked 182. I’m behind many of my peers in rankings because I have not been competing at the same frequency over the years, but believe that my current commitment will help me achieve the success I aspire to, which is to continue to improve my game, and be on a college tennis team.
I'm very excited to get back into tournaments, because competing is my passion, and the feeling you get when you win a tournament, or even a match, is immeasurable. I am always looking to improve no matter what it takes. I understand what needs to be done for me to succeed at the highest level, and I will do anything in my power to achieve that level, even giving up social activities to participate in tournaments on weekends. I am extremely lucky to have everyone in my life supporting me with my dream, and whatever happens in my life, tennis will always be a part of it.
I hope that you will review my profile, including my videos which I am updating periodically. By the time I graduate high school in this coming year I am certain that my rankings will be much higher, but also hope that you will see the potential that I have to be an outstanding tennis player from the improvements in my videos. I am open to your suggestions that will help me to continue to grow as a tennis player and offer me an opportunity to be considered for your team.
