Unionville High School rising senior Matt Miller, the 2024 Daily Local News Boys Tennis Player of the Year, is a Longhorn leader by example.
“Matt is a quiet leader at times, letting his play inspire his teammates more than his voice,” said Unionville boys tennis head coach Jimmy O’Rourke. “Loud or quiet, he is certainly comfortable with being the guy who can put the team on his back when needed.”
Asked how he viewed his leadership role as a team captain this spring, Miller responded, “My role as one of the three team captains was to be a quiet leader, someone who led by example. The team knows that I train a lot above and beyond team practices, and that encourages others to do the same.”
Miller gave the Longhorn team an inspiring example this spring, winning his second consecutive Ches-Mont American Division singles championship, finishing third at the District 1 3A singles tournament, and advancing to the PIAA 3A state singles quarterfinals.
Following Miller’s Ches-Mont singles title last spring, O’Rourke said, “Matt keeps getting better every year, not only in his size and strength but in his technique as well – you can see his power. His tennis IQ is up there as well – he knows how to adjust. When you’re up against a good player, it might take until the fourth game to figure out what you have to do, but he’s usually pretty good at putting two and two together (quickly).”
Miller has enjoyed increasing success in USTA tournaments during the past year as well.
West Chester Rustin boys’ tennis coach Billy McElroy, who has worked with Miller for a decade, said, “I’m most impressed with the improvements Matt had made. I think he’s one of the most improved players in the area in the last 2-3 years – his UTR just keeps jumping up and up.”
One of the highlights of Miller’s 2024 PIAA postseason was a 6-3, 7-6 win against Radnor senior Antonio Fidelibus in the District 1 3A team quarterfinals, which helped the Longhorns achieve a 3-1 win. Fidelibus had defeated Miller in the second round of the District 1 3A singles tournament in 2023.
“This (6-3, 7-6 win) was my best match of the season,” said Miller. “I knew going in this would be a competitive match — Antonio is a very difficult opponent who gets everything back. It took everything I had to beat him.”
Then came the Ches-Mont American Division singles tournament, where Unionville players finished 1-2-3, with Andrew Ou second and Andy Ye third.
“Andrew and Andy both elevated their games in the off-season, and I had to be at my best against them in practice matches,” said Miller.
“Matt has really taken his preparation to another level this year,” said O’Rourke. “He is working on building strength physically. He has grown several inches since last year and has worked to put on some muscle to compete at the top level at PIAA.”
Following a third-place finish in the District 1 3A singles tourney, Miller won his opening PIAA 3A state singles match before falling in the quarterfinals to Cooper Lehman of Hempfield, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6. Lehman then lost to eventual state champion David Lindsay of Central Mountain.
“After losing at States, Matt’s immediate response was, ‘Well, I need to get better,’” said Miller. “He wasn’t belittling what he has accomplished, he just has a good knowledge of where he needs to be next year.
“As his confidence grows and he allows his body to do what he has trained it to do, he will become freer with his swing. His ownership of the court will be more evident as his senior year progresses in 2025.”
One of Miller’s favorite memories of the PIAA postseason (he competed in the PIAA 3A team competition, too, where the Longhorns finished third at districts and advanced to the state quarterfinals) was the post-match team dinners at the Olive Garden.
“These dinners have been a tradition since my freshman year, and it’s something that I look forward to each season,” said Miller. “They really bring the team closer together.”
A lefthander, Miller feels the strongest part of his game is his forehand, and has worked most on his serve this past spring.
“The players who consistently win the PIAA tournament all have very strong serves, and I’d like to ensure that is part of my game for my senior year,” said Miller.
The Unionville rising senior hopes to return to Hershey for the PIAA 3A singles tournament next year – the Hershey Racquet Club happens to be his favorite tennis venue, as he has also played USTA tournaments at Hershey and performed well.
Miller’s favorite tennis player currently is Carlos Alcaraz.
“He plays very aggressive and I try to model my game after his in some respects,” said Miller. “A close second would be Roger Federer.”
Miller began playing tennis at age 6.
“Both of my parents (Dan and Christi) play tennis so I picked it up quickly,” said Miller. “I did not start taking the sport seriously until I was 13, which was when I started competing in tournaments.”
Miller said two of his biggest tennis mentors are McElroy and Fazal Syed of Level 7 Tennis (www.level7tennis.com).
“I have been working with Fazal for over a year now and he has played a huge role in improving my game,” said Miller. “Billy has been a mentor of mine from the very beginning and continues to play a significant part in my development.”
McElroy said, “Matt’s maturity level has improved to where he’s not worrying about his numbers, rankings and ratings; instead, he’s working on becoming a better Matt Miller tomorrow.”
Off the court at Unionville, Miller is a member of the Habitat Build Cub and the Earth Club. His two favorite academic subjects at Unionville are English (taught by James Foster) and History (taught by Mike Mangan).
“Mr. Foster and Mr. Mangan are two of the best teachers I’ve ever had,” said Miller.
In the fall, Miller will be taking AP Economics and is thinking of possibly majoring in that subject in college.
