D-C's Williamson has lofty goals for season

A speed of one hundred and thirty miles per hour can result in a lot of trouble.

Drive a car 130 MPH and get pulled over and the likely result is being much lighter in the pocketbook.

And structures don't take too kindly to winds that whip at 130 MPH.

But for Dundee-Crown senior boys tennis standout Mike Williamson, 130 MPH has been nothing but good.

That's the speed the 6-foot-4 Williamson's serve has been clocked at. That weapon has helped Williamson to three straight state finals appearance and a career 99-18 mark to start the week. Williamson, according to veteran D-C coach Harlan Miller, is the program's all-time winningest player.

"He's the best we've seen," said Miller. "He was an accomplished player when he was a freshman and he's only gotten better. What you put in is often times what you get out of it. It's been a natural process and progressions. He's played in a lot of tournaments and has a lot of tournament toughness. He's played with some of the best players in the Midwest area and that has only stepped up his game."

Williamson, who has made his college decision but has not announced it publicly yet, said having a serve of such high velocity has been a critical tool from a strategic standpoint.

"Having a good serve is valuable," said Williamson, who was going for his 100th career high school win at the Warren Invitational this past Wednesday. "The serve starts every point. It's nice to have a weapon that can affect an opponent like that. You can start off on a good not and hopefully put yourself in a position to end the point quickly."

Williamson's cannon serves have been a work in progress.

"When I was 12, I was kind of a short guy," said Williamson, who said his serve is usually in the 125 MPH neighborhood but has reached that 130 plateau. "I wasn't the greatest server. The taller I got, the more I worked harder on it and got more leverage with it."

A growth spurt also came in handy.

"When I got to high school I was around 6-foot," said Williamson, who joked most people his current height are bouncing a basketball instead of blasting a tennis ball at someone. "Now I'm 6-4. I've grown about an inch a year and that definitely helps. You get more leverage on the ball. I can reach pretty far in both directions."

Williamson, the owner of two sectional championships and a sectional runner-up finish in his previous three campaigns, has his own speed gun to keep track of his missiles.

"I put it in the front of the net, but I haven't used it in a while," said Williamson, who won a Fox Valley Conference individual championship as a junior last year after taking third his freshman and sophomore seasons. "It's more based on knowing the speed mentally. Most kids in tournaments can tell how fast the serve is going."

But those 130 MPH serves were shelved for a stretch last summer when Williamson contracted mononucleosis.

"I was diagnosed in July and had it until August," said Williamson. "I was a little tired but that's about it. The only thing it did was it benched me for a month and a half."

Williamson, who is rated in the top 50 in the Midwest in the USTA rankings and is the No. 1 ranked 18s player in Northern Illinois, also lost momentum on the tournament circuit when the illness struck.

"I was starting to get some good results," said Williamson, who works out at 3 different tennis clubs around the Northwest suburbs (Crystal Lake Racquet Club, Prairie Stone in Hoffman Estates and Midtown Athletic Club in Palatine). "I beat a kid who had won state in Indiana. It was definitely not a good time to get that. It was bad timing. I missed about half of the (summer) season. I had played in a couple of tournaments early in the summer and three or four others lined up. I beat some solid kids."

The result of the illness has actually been a positive one in the long run.

"I feel as healthy as ever," said Williamson. "I've been working out every day and swimming. My stamina is strong if not better than it was before. I've been working so hard to get it back."

In terms of adjustments on the court, Williamson made an equipment switch that took some getting used to.

"I switched racquets," said Williamson, who noted he's doing a better job of hitting through the ball with his forehand and backhand. "There was a little adjustment with that. My serve was off in the beginning. Now it's back to where it used to be."

Improving his quickness has also been a focus.

"I've been working on becoming faster and getting to the ball quicker," said Williamson. "Tall people aren't really fast on the court."

With the 2008 season now in its infant stages, Williamson is ready to make one final high school push.

Last year, he went into the state tournament undefeated and ended up finishing 3-2 to bring his career state finals mark to 7-6.

"There was a little bit of pressure, definitely," said Williamson of going into state at 33-0 last year. "If you are going to lose somewhere it's probably going to be in the state tournament. That's where the best of the best are. This is unlike other sports where there are different classes. This is one class where everybody is together. It's definitely harder."

Williamson also has his ear tuned to the D-C team as a whole.

"Our team hasn't won conference in a long, long time," said Williamson. "We lost eight seniors, so we'll definitely be building during the season. But there is a lot of motivation and a lot of potential to be a good team."

Miller is looking for even bigger things from his star player.

"Mike's been working hard," said Miller. "He's remained competitive playing in quite a few tournaments on a regular basis. He's backed that up with a lot of practice time and instruction. He's doing the right things. I expect him to be a stronger player than last year. We're looking for another successful year from him."

The last two years, Williamson has been awarded a 16-32 seed in the state tournament. He'd like to improve upon that this year.

"I'm going to be playing some tough kids this year. We've got some tough competition," said Williamson. "That will help build up my game more. Hopefully I can build up my seed. I'd like to get a 5-8 seed this year."

But Williamson knows nothing is guaranteed in the state tournament.

"It's tough especially when you play 2 and 3-hour matches," said Williamson. "When you get to the top 32, everyone has the same strokes and the same ability. When it gets up there, it's all mental and it's about how much you can handle. It's who wants it more and who will fight the hardest."

And there's a certain 6-4 player with a 130 MPH serve that wants it and is prepared to fight for it.