Meet Drew Dahan

     It’s never too late. And sometimes the game is more than just a game. Drew Dahan, player in the Men’s Competitive 3.25 League out of Tennis-Miami, illustrates how great tennis is often more than a good service and solid ground strokes.


      As a player, Drew doesn’t boast. He plays between a 2.5 and 3.0 level, “depending on the day.” He takes pride in a strong serve, loves the drop shot, and is learning to put more and more spin on his forehands. He gets to the courts whenever he can, usually two to three times a week, but life often has a way of eating into practice time.

      This would be very ho-hum, except Drew didn’t begin playing seriously until 2008. Our most beloved tennis stars—Agassi, Borg, Sampras, Djokovic—all started young. Somehow this image has burned into our heads, that to really play tennis, one has to start almost before they can walk.

      Andrew shows how the beautiful simplicity of tennis—all you need is a racket and a ball, really—allows one to jump in at any stage of life. When Drew moved from Chicago to Miami in order to pursue his Ph.D. in Music Education, a simple internet search hooked him up with Tennis-Miami.com. The competitive, collegial environment appeals to Drew . He loves how, “[Tennis-Miami.com] provides me with people to play against on a regular basis, and gives me motivation to get out and play as often as I can.”

      For Drew, the game is more than his win-loss and his break percentages.  “[Tennis-Miami has] provided a good outlet for a lot of pent-up energy I have from being in classes and rehearsals for most of the day,” he says. The flexible but regular schedule also works in Drew ’s favor. As an Adjunct instructor at Miami Dade College, it’s difficult to set aside definite blocks of time each week.

      More than anything, though, Drew likes to focus not on mechanics or footwork, but the people. “I’ve met some great people playing in this league, and I’ve enjoyed the relationships I’ve been able to build with people with whom I’ve played on multiple occasions.”

      Drew Dahan serves as the epitome of what good tennis should be. Miami-Tennis.com’s flexible leagues allow him to play, even having just recently focused on the game. He can work on putting more spin on that forehand while meeting great people at the same time.

       Check out our new tennis leagues in Milwaukee and Columbus.