Dressed for success

Matt Walters dreams of one day producing the graphic artwork for a corporate symbol that is instantly recognizable worldwide -- something like the Nike swoosh.

And if that's what Walters dreams about, it's probably going to happen, because the 18-year-old Naperville North senior has already proved that he can turn his dreams into reality.

Walters began playing tennis in the eighth grade, a year after the disappointment of being cut from the junior high school basketball team. With an abundance of dedication and enthusiasm he has become a top-flight high school player shooting for his third state qualification.

The attitude that he displays on the tennis court has also helped Walters excel in another area -- graphic design.

"My freshman year I found a program on graphic design while I was surfing online," Walters said. "I was always creative and loved art, even though I couldn't draw. So with new programs and tutorials online I learned it and it bloomed from there."

Walters is Naperville North's go-to guy for computer-generated artwork for a variety of products, including T-shirts, uniforms, equipment bags, Web sites, wallpaper and tri-folds.

His work has been displayed on the attire and equipment of many Huskies athletic teams, student clubs and organizations and for special events.

"Matt designed the logo for our warmup jerseys," said Chris Collander, a friend and a member of the Huskies varsity boys volleyball team. "Not only is he creative but he's reliable. Everyone knows the work will be good and that he comes through in a very short time."

Dave Zirzow of Holy Cow Sports in Downers Grove, Naperville North's supplier for athletic attire, is impressed by Matt's work and his personality.

"Every organization in the school goes to Matt. He's done work for the water polo team, the girls basketball team and the cheerleading squad to name a few," Zirzow said. "He's very creative. He goes above and beyond the quality and service you'd expect from someone his age.

"And he connects with his peers. He has a great relationship with them and that will be a key in the business world."

"I don't charge anything for my work with Naperville North," Walters said. "I can whip up a design on the computer pretty quickly and I have fun doing it. However, I have been paid for freelance work for private companies. I don't watch TV or play video games. Tennis and graphic design are my hobbies. I love to get the job done on time, to the best of my ability and with a positive attitude."

Work to do

As a tennis player his positive approach has taken him far from the days when he began taking lessons at the Naperville Tennis Club.

"My first tournament was the summer before my freshman year," Walters said. "I had been playing about nine months and thought I was a hotshot. I was quick and I had good hand-eye coordination, and people were telling me how good I was. My first match was to a non-seeded player and he destroyed me 6-0, 6-0."

Walters rebounded from that setback and went on to make the Huskies varsity his freshman year.

"I was fourth singles as a freshman," Walters said. "I was a backboard, a grinder, playing not to lose. Everyone hated playing against me because I got everything back."

As opponents tossed their rackets in frustration, Walters quietly won the DuPage Valley Conference championship at fourth singles.

After that season he knew he would have to improve in order to move up. So he started working out to get stronger, and he became more aggressive, playing to win.

"I've always been goal-driven," Walters said. "My parents encouraged me to have a 'Set your goal and you become your goal' kind of attitude."

A quality player

As a sophomore he made it to state as a singles player, and last year he went back to state where he and his partner Shaq Eladasari, who has since graduated, advanced to the Top 48.

Walters and new partner Yasufumi Terada have taken lessons together and have played tournaments in the off-season to ensure state qualification and shoot for a higher finish.

In his high school career thus far Walters has 78 victories and he's hoping to make it to 100, a mark only five other Huskies have reached.

"Matt is a great team leader and he's the most aggressive player we've ever had," said Naperville North coach Heather Henricksen. "He goes after everything. As a doubles team, he and Yasufumi are quick, confident and fearless."

"Tennis offers the best features of both team sports and individual sports," Walters said. "I see friends of mine play their best games in soccer and they end up losing. In tennis if I'm hitting all my shots and playing well, I win 90 percent of the time. I also love having a partner and being on a team is great, because we're all there supporting and rooting for each other. But when I played singles, I liked the idea of controlling my own destiny."

Walters will attend the University of Illinois where he plans to play club tennis and major in graphic design in order to prepare for attacking his career goals with the same intensity he uses to attack the tennis ball.

"I'm dreaming big," he said. "During college I want to learn how to draw, work on getting some good internships and make connections in the business world. I then want to move out west and work for a large company. I would like to produce something that becomes well-known."

A quick look at how Walters has developed in both tennis and graphic design, leads an observer to be certain that it will happen just that way.