Soccer long has been Matt Ziuzia’s top sport.
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However, when Ziuzia, now a senior, entered his freshman year at Elmwood Park, he decided to start playing tennis in the spring. That started him on a path that has him aiming for the state meet with No. 1 doubles partner Mario Muhaj, also a senior.
Part of the reason Ziuzia picked up the sport was to have something to do in the spring and to help him stay in shape for soccer.
But deep down, there stirred a driving force to get better and finally beat his father.
“My dad [Marek Ziuzia] and I would hit around on the tennis courts, but whenever we played sets, he would always beat me, and it was very frustrating,” Matt said. “I joined tennis so I could get better and beat him.”
Matt Ziuzia knew his weaknesses were mainly inconsistency and a weak serve.
So he got to work on the high school tennis courts, and he saw immediate progress. By the end of the year he took first place in No. 4 doubles at conference but all along he was focused on his first objective.
“If I worked on my serves and could return his shots, I knew I would be able to compete with him,” Matt Ziuzia said. “But it took a lot of coaching and hard work at practice to get to that point.”
When father and son squared off during the summer after freshman year, Matt Ziuzia fell behind early, losing the first set. Determined to beat the man who introduced him to both tennis and soccer, Matt Ziuzia prevailed, sweeping the next three sets.
“It was one of the most historic days in my life, finally getting to beat my dad in a game of tennis” Matt Ziuzia said. “I felt really overjoyed. I felt like I had just won Wimbledon, to be honest. I think he was a little upset, but he was proud of me for all the hard work I put in, committing to a team. I know he respected me in that moment because I was able to overcome a situation and actually beat him.”
Being surpassed by your child can be humbling, but Marek Ziuzia took it well.
“I was very surprised when it happened,” Marek Ziuzia said. “He’s worked so hard and I’m really proud of the job he’s doing in school and the tennis courts.”
Matt Ziuzia, who will attend UIC in the fall and hopes to become an English teacher, ranks No. 4 academically in his class and has a 4.8 grade-point average.
After beating his dad on the courts, he’s continued to move up the ranks on the Elmwood Park tennis team, starting with making No. 2 doubles as a sophomore.
Last year he formed No. 1 doubles with David Servant, who has since graduated. The pair won their first set in the Oak Park-River Forest Sectional quarterfinals, but dropped the next two to end their season.
Ziuzia will have one more crack at getting to state and is 11-5 this season with partner Muhaj.
“I’ve been friends with him since elementary school and we play soccer together all the time and that’s really helped us,” Ziuzia said. “We definitely want to win conference and go out with a bang. We’re working hard to get into that sectional final and go to state. We don’t want to end on a heartbreaker.”
Tigers coach Vesalius Mercuric likes their chances, especially with the characteristics Ziuzia has displayed in his four years at Elmwood Park.
“He’s always been dedicated and puts up a good fight,” Mercuric said. “He’s very strong mentally and whatever team faces him will have a hard time beating him.”
Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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