Year off was time well spent for St. Francis' Dawson

Kyle Dawson has returned to his familiar first-singles position in the St. Francis boys tennis lineup.

And while the senior, who missed all of last year after injuring his right elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery, is not yet at 100 percent effectiveness, his tennis game could eventually be even better thanks to an addition he made to his arsenal during his rehab but before he was able to fully utilize his right arm.

He started playing left-handed, and he's become quite proficient at it.

Shortly after the surgery last spring, Dawson's physical activity was limited to leg presses and the stationary bike, and then he added running later on.

About three months after the surgery, he was given permission by doctors to be more active, which didn't include playing with the injured arm, so Dawson started working on his left-handed game.

"I'm still working on it, but I can go to it when my right arm gets tired," Dawson said. "I can serve decently, but not great, and I can keep forehands and backhands on the court."

After watching him in his first two matches of the season, both victories, St. Francis coach Marcia Bussey thinks Dawson may be a little modest about his left-handed game.

"His left-hand backhand is flawless and his forehand is strong but not quite as accurate," Bussey said. "But with his backhand he was going in for put-aways almost every time. And he can switch hands during a point. Now he'll always have the left hand as something he can go to."

"In my match against Neuqua Valley, I started switching to my left-hand on balls I would have a tough time with, and I'd flick it over the net to the spot I wanted to hit. It gives me plenty of choices. I just have to figure out when to use what stroke."

Dawson has no timetable for getting back to 100 percent.

"I don't have a specific goal for the season, just to stay healthy and get my arm back to normal," Dawson said. "I'm taking it week by week. My main focus is getting the arm and elbow stronger. But right now, it's just cool being back on the court and playing with the team against other schools. I'll try to compete the way I do normally."

Dawson said he doesn't yet have the full power back on his serves.

"I can go out and hit with the right arm and it doesn't bother me," he said. "I can't really hit a 100 mph serve. The main thing is getting over the mental barriers, because I hurt my arm serving."

Throughout his season away from playing tennis, Dawson never wavered in his support for his teammates.

"Last year he came to every practice to support the team," Bussey said. "I'm really proud of what a leader he is for the team. He's a great captain and helps his teammates whenever he can."

The coach is also impressed that Dawson didn't miss much school before and after the surgery.

"He's a serious student," Bussey said. "He's in the top 10 in his class, and he's a member of the math team."

Next fall Dawson will follow in the footsteps of his two tennis-playing older brothers, former St. Francis greats Jeff and Connor, and enter Yale University, where he'll major in either economics or political science.

"Jeff is starting med school in the fall," Kyle said. "But because of this whole experience with my arm, I decided to stay away from medicine."