Friday, April 24, 1998
Courting consistency
MENS TENNIS: Breen’s modesty hides silent but lethal talent
By Stephanie Chan
Daily Bruin Contributor
At age 6, it was a simple game. His elder sister fed him balls
at the local tennis courts in Australia.
In high school, it was a competition. He was ranked No. 7 in
singles and No. 2 in doubles in the junior Australian rankings.
After high school, it was the road to new opportunities. It was
the bridge from Australia to the United States, to UCLA.
But all along, tennis has been a passion for Matt Breen, the
senior captain of the UCLA men’s tennis team.
Breen is neither the cover boy of the media guide, nor the
spotlighted No. 1 player on the team. Actually, he plays on Court
No. 3, away from the center of attention. The shy Breen would
probably rather have it that way.
When the favorite loses, you notice. When the underdog wins, you
notice. When the consistent player does his job, you rarely notice.
Breen possesses that silent but lethal consistency, boasting the
best dual-match record on the team at 16-5.
No frills. No fanfare. No excuses. Breen never relies on excuses
to explain defeat and never resorts to boasting to accentuate his
victories. He is the player who always gives the opponent credit
and who would rather talk about the team than himself. However you
mix and match his actions and his words, they all add up to
humility.
"I want to play pro tennis, and I’m going to keep working hard
on my game," Breen said. "I believe I can be a pro tennis player,
and I’m just going to work hard and take it from there.
"I’m not going to set a ranking that I want to achieve. (I want)
to be in the big tournaments week in and week out, and to be doing
well. I’m not going to say I’m going to win a grand slam, because I
don’t think I’m going to win a grand slam."
Breen has the work ethic and the attitude of a coach’s dream
player. He practices early and practices hard. His admiration for
other players stems from how they do things rather than what they
do.
"I don’t really have a favorite player. I like a bunch of
different players’ style of play and the way they compete. (I
admire) the way they carry themselves," Breen said. "One of those
guys is Patrick Rafter. He wasn’t a great junior player, but he
worked his butt off, and now he’s doing unbelievably well. Seeing
that inspires me."
Breen’s hard work is bred by his intense determination. For him,
it is never "I know" or "I feel," but "I believe."
The potency of Breen’s mental muscles compliment his
level-headedness and maturity.
"Tennis definitely rules my life. I love it, so I’m prepared to
make a commitment and give up a lot of stuff that I know other guys
my age are doing," Breen said. "Tennis has given me such better
opportunities.
"My four years here have been great. There are things that I
really appreciate because coming from Australia, there’s no way you
can combine tennis and school. And to do it at such a fine
institution as UCLA, which is world-renowned – it’s just something
that I couldn’t dream of when I was growing up."
Not only is Breen a coach’s dream player, but a university’s
dream scholar-athlete.
"I’m just appreciative of what UCLA has done for me," said
Breen. "It’s been an unbelievable experience, and something that I
will always remember. It’s just a pity I can’t go on."
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
For Matt Breen, tennis doesn’t consist of flashy moves, but hard
work and determination.