University of Minnesota Athletics
Summer Update: Matic Spec
7/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Throughout the summer we will be getting an update on what some of the Golden Gopher men's tennis players are up to. This week we caught up with Sophomore Matic Spec after his strong freshman season.
Gopher Sports: What have you been up to this summer? Have you seen any of the other players? Any big plans for the rest of it?
Matic Spec: I am trying to stay in shape and improve, so I practice as much as possible. I have also played two futures tournaments so far, and I am planning to play another three, so I won't be without matches the whole summer. Although tennis is taking a lot of time, I try to spend as much of my free time as possible with family and friends and I also took some time off from tennis and went at the end of June. I am planning to do it once again at the end of this month. Unfortunately I am living too far away from all my teammates that I'd be able to visit them, but I will probably makes some trips in the following years.
GS: You had a strong freshman season. Can you talk about what is was like to play on the collegiate level and to have that much success in your first season?
MS: Honestly I did not expect it to go so well, especially because there is a big difference between junior and collegiate tennis, and I thought that it would take more time for me to adjust to it. But I think one of the main reasons things turned out the way they did, was because I was (and still am) a part of a great group of guys, where everyone supported each other and strived to get better and better, which really made my transition easier and helped me to get better. I just tried to focus on every match separately and bringing all I got and not thinking about winning or losing. As our coaches say, we have to take every match seriously, and play our game, no matter who we play against. I tried to follow that, and I think that and support from my teammates brought me success.
GS: Funniest moment from last season?
MS: Probably one of the funniest moments from the last season for me was when we were at the restaurant in Oklahoma and Jeremy argued with our waiter whether there is cilantro in his food or not and in order to prove that he was right, he went through every piece of food on his plate to find tiny pieces of cilantro hiding in it. I thought that was pretty funny. Although I have to mention that Jeremy was right and there actually was cilantro in his food.
GS: Best spot to hang out on campus and why?
MS: I would say 17th avenue dorm, because that is where I felt the most comfortable on campus and where I spent the most of my time my freshman year. Felix and I made a lot of friends in our dorm, so we were never really bored, because there was always something fun going on.
GS: What would you do if you won a million dollars today?
MS: I would probably give the money to my parents, since they have been paying for pretty much all I do since the day I was born....haha. Maybe I would keep some money so that I would be able to go play on pro tour for a while, after I finish college. That way I would not have to worry so much about having early success, because I would be able to afford to travel to plenty of tournaments, and it would not matter if I lose some early rounds.
GS: Would you rather be eight feet tall or three feet tall and why?
MS: I would rather be eight feet tall, because I think that would be pretty cool. I would probably have a huge serve and really big ground strokes. I feel like I would have fun playing tennis like that.
GS: What are you most excited for when the school year starts back up?
MS: I am really excited to see my friends, and the new guys that are going to be in our team next year. I am also moving into apartment with Pep, Jeremy, Felix and Ruben, so that will be something new for me, and I think we will have a lot of fun.
Players Mentioned
