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The University of Utah Athletics
Drop Shots: Madison Tattini
12/4/2019 9:25 AM | Women's Tennis
Madison Tattini enters her sophomore season as the reigning ITA Mountain Region Freshman of the Year after shining in the No. 2 singles spot for the Utes, as well as playing on the top doubles team. Dominant on the doubles court last year with former partner Brianna Chisholm, Tattini has continued the strong play with her new partner Whitney Hekking, the younger sister of Chisholm. Tattini and Hekking finished the fall season ranked as the No. 24 doubles team in the nation following their stellar run this fall, which included the doubles title at the UNLV Invitational and a semifinal appearance at the ITA Mountain Regionals.
Get to know more about the Ute sophomore!
When did you first start playing tennis and why?
"I first started playing tennis when I was four years old. I got into it because back when I lived in Rhode Island, my neighbor was a tennis pro and she taught me a lot. My parents also told me about this time when I was younger and we went to Dick's Sporting Goods, and I picked up a tennis racquet and cried until they bought it for me. After that, I got put into lessons and the rest is history."
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Did you play any other sports growing up? If so, when did you decide that tennis was the sport that you wanted to pursue?
"My parents let me try whatever sport that I wanted to. I played golf, was on the diving team, ran cross country, played soccer, and played tennis. I played competitive soccer and tennis together up until my sophomore year of high school, and then it just became too hard to balance. I knew tennis was going to take me further, so I decided to put all my focus on that."
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At Central Catholic High School, you won the Illinois Class 1A State Championship in 2016. What was that experience like for you?
"I really enjoyed it. It was my first time experiencing the team aspect of tennis because my junior career was all by myself. The structure of it was a lot like college, with six singles and three doubles. My family was also always there to watch, so I really liked that aspect about it."
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Why did you decide to attend the University of Utah? What stuck out about Utah compared to other schools that you were looking at?
"I was actually really looking into going to a school in the BIG 10 because that's where a lot of people go that are from the Midwest. I wanted something new and I didn't want to follow what everybody else was doing. I had a dream of going to the Pac-12 to play tennis ever since I was a little girl, and when the coach at Utah reached out to me, I decided to go check it out. As soon as I landed, it was love at first sight with the mountains and scenery of the state. Then, I met the coaches and girls, saw the facilities, and knew this was the place for me."
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During your first season as a Ute, you were tabbed the ITA Mountain Region Freshman of the Year. What was your biggest takeaway from your freshman season and how did it feel to achieve that accomplishment?
"It was one of the best feelings in the whole world and it showed me a lot. Sometimes I thought that I didn't belong in this conference and couldn't keep up with the girls from other schools. It made me realize that all my hard work had paid off. All of the 6:30 a.m. workouts I did and miles I had run paid off."
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What are your main goals for yourself this year, as well as the team?
"I know that our team goal is to reach the NCAA tournament. We were so close last year and we train every day with that in mind. For myself, I just want to be ranked as high as I can be in both singles and doubles. My doubles partner Whitney Hekking and I ended the fall season ranked 24th, and we want to continue to improve on that."
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What are your goals or aspirations after you finish your time at the University of Utah?
"I want to go to veterinary school to become a veterinarian. I've always loved animals and that would be a career that I would be very happy with. I would also like to take tennis as far as I can go."
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You raised exotic animals growing up, what animals did that include?
"I've raised a baby deer, raccoons, a baby hawk, squirrels, ducks, and now I have some cats here in Salt Lake that I love and take care of."
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When you aren't playing tennis, what do you like to do in your free time?
"I love the outdoors and hiking, and it's just so great that I'm in a state that I can enjoy all of those things. I also play the acoustic guitar, and I volunteer at the local animal shelter whenever I have free time."
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Get to know more about the Ute sophomore!
When did you first start playing tennis and why?
"I first started playing tennis when I was four years old. I got into it because back when I lived in Rhode Island, my neighbor was a tennis pro and she taught me a lot. My parents also told me about this time when I was younger and we went to Dick's Sporting Goods, and I picked up a tennis racquet and cried until they bought it for me. After that, I got put into lessons and the rest is history."
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Did you play any other sports growing up? If so, when did you decide that tennis was the sport that you wanted to pursue?
"My parents let me try whatever sport that I wanted to. I played golf, was on the diving team, ran cross country, played soccer, and played tennis. I played competitive soccer and tennis together up until my sophomore year of high school, and then it just became too hard to balance. I knew tennis was going to take me further, so I decided to put all my focus on that."
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At Central Catholic High School, you won the Illinois Class 1A State Championship in 2016. What was that experience like for you?
"I really enjoyed it. It was my first time experiencing the team aspect of tennis because my junior career was all by myself. The structure of it was a lot like college, with six singles and three doubles. My family was also always there to watch, so I really liked that aspect about it."
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Why did you decide to attend the University of Utah? What stuck out about Utah compared to other schools that you were looking at?
"I was actually really looking into going to a school in the BIG 10 because that's where a lot of people go that are from the Midwest. I wanted something new and I didn't want to follow what everybody else was doing. I had a dream of going to the Pac-12 to play tennis ever since I was a little girl, and when the coach at Utah reached out to me, I decided to go check it out. As soon as I landed, it was love at first sight with the mountains and scenery of the state. Then, I met the coaches and girls, saw the facilities, and knew this was the place for me."
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During your first season as a Ute, you were tabbed the ITA Mountain Region Freshman of the Year. What was your biggest takeaway from your freshman season and how did it feel to achieve that accomplishment?
"It was one of the best feelings in the whole world and it showed me a lot. Sometimes I thought that I didn't belong in this conference and couldn't keep up with the girls from other schools. It made me realize that all my hard work had paid off. All of the 6:30 a.m. workouts I did and miles I had run paid off."
Â
What are your main goals for yourself this year, as well as the team?
"I know that our team goal is to reach the NCAA tournament. We were so close last year and we train every day with that in mind. For myself, I just want to be ranked as high as I can be in both singles and doubles. My doubles partner Whitney Hekking and I ended the fall season ranked 24th, and we want to continue to improve on that."
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What are your goals or aspirations after you finish your time at the University of Utah?
"I want to go to veterinary school to become a veterinarian. I've always loved animals and that would be a career that I would be very happy with. I would also like to take tennis as far as I can go."
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You raised exotic animals growing up, what animals did that include?
"I've raised a baby deer, raccoons, a baby hawk, squirrels, ducks, and now I have some cats here in Salt Lake that I love and take care of."
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When you aren't playing tennis, what do you like to do in your free time?
"I love the outdoors and hiking, and it's just so great that I'm in a state that I can enjoy all of those things. I also play the acoustic guitar, and I volunteer at the local animal shelter whenever I have free time."
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