I have just returned from Villena, Spain, where I played 2 more ITF tournaments. Villena is a small town close to Alicante. During the trip, I played a total of 13 matches, winning 10 of them. I am now fully fit, which feels amazing after long periods of injury in 2023.

I played both doubles events with James Davis, my lifelong friend, who I won my first professional title with in Budapest back in September 2023. We lost in the semi-finals of the first week in a gutting final set tiebreak. However, the second tournament went perfectly. We had to come through a very close semi-final, where we narrowly won 10-8 in the final set. The final was an amazing event where we were lucky enough to have a crowd and ball kids helping. After an incredible performance from both James and me, we were crowned champions. It is great to get some rewards for the hard work and setbacks I faced in 2023.

I am now going to California for 2 more tournaments in March, where I am looking to improve my game and ranking further. 

During this December, I have been lucky enough to train at Wimbledon with my good friend Ben Jones, coached by Greg Rusedski.

Sharing the court with the ex-US Open Finalist and World Number 4 was a great privilege. Greg was very supportive and gave me a lot of advice to grow my game and improve as a player.

My foot injury is improving and I am looking forward to getting back to competing again in February 2024. The past few months have been testing and I am coming out the other side a better person and player. I am really excited to get back to matches and improving my game and ranking.

Bring on 2024!

Since the middle of August, I have been having some pain in my right foot but continued to play, hoping the issue would pass. However, after returning from Budapest, I decided I should get it looked at and had an MRI scan. This highlighted a stress response in my 3rd and 4th metatarsal. To allow the bone to fully recover, I was advised to be in a boot for 6 weeks.

During my time away from competing, I have still been able to work out most days and get some limited time on court. I have also spent a lot of time in the swimming pool. As well as this, I had some pictures taken with Fileder Filter Systems, which was a lot of fun! They are my main sponsor and I am extremely grateful for their continued support.

I should be back competing around the middle of December and am excited to end the year strongly before a big 2024 ahead.

Over the past 2 weeks, I played two ITF tennis tournaments in Hungary. Competition was tough as we played in 30+ degrees every day. I managed to win my first doubles title with James Davis in Budapest. I also played well in the singles, gaining my highest career win against the number 1 seed (ATP 450), Saba Putseladze, 6-3 7-6(8). It was great to play, injury free, after a long-term shoulder problem and I am really looking forward to playing in the UK the next month.

My new doubles world ranking is now 780  and my singles has moved to 1200 after reaching the QF in the second week. My next competitions are in France, over my birthday! I will then play 3 further tournaments in the UK.

Great news - I have finally achieved my first professional ATP points and now have a world ranking of 1470!  It has however been really tough but fun.  I was in Eygpt for 2  weeks, where I ended up playing 9 matches across 10 days in the heat, winning 7 of them.

It feels amazing to reach this milestone but it has taken a lot of hard work.  My results were inconsistant before Eygpt but I knew it was only a matter of time before I made a break through.  My focus since Denver has been on strength and fitness and this has started to pay dividends. I am really grateful to my coaches, who have helped me to develop my game, and also my parents who always support me no matter what.

I am really excited for 2023 and will begin with 4 competitons in the UK. 

Matthew Summers came to the University of Denver as a freshman in the fall of 2017 and has since become one of the all-time greats of the tennis program. Finishing his career ranking 2nd in the all-time singles win list with 89 wins to his name and third in doubles with 85 career wins totalling 174 wins for the Pioneers. Bosting a career high doubles ranking of #19 nationally with partner James Davis, Summers has cemented his claim as a top college tennis player. The English doubles tandem have been a very successful combination for the Pioneers with two regional doubles titles, a quarterfinal run at the All-American Championships and two trips to the Fall National Championships. Along with these achievements, Summers is a thee-time all conference first team selection and won the clinching match for the Pioneers 2021 Summit League Tournament win, also clinching the final match in the Pioneers 4-3 win over conference rivals Drake in 2022.
 
Unsurprisingly, his career has coincided with one of the most successful periods in program history with his wins and leadership guiding the team to a program high national ranking of #33, three regular season summit league crowns and one conference tournament title with one still to play for this year. In Denver's NCAA Tournament berth in 2021 Summers and Davis were instrumental in taking the doubles point off the University of Oklahoma.
 
Summers' career at Denver has been far more than achievements and accomplishments, as a three-year captain of the men's tennis team, Summers has played an integral role in establishing a thriving team culture and nurturing the young talent coming through the program. A picture of professionalism and perseverance, there will never be any doubting his attitude towards all aspects of the team experience, whether in practice, the classroom or the match court Summers has always applied himself to the best of his abilities.
 
"He has been a constant positive influence on the team and has really been the glue which has held the team together in my time here, I am sure that as a team and as individuals we would not have been able to achieve what we have without Matt," teammate and doubles partner James Davis said. "A testament to him being a true leader for the Pioneers on and off the court, whilst pursuing his ambitions on the tennis court, Summers has also been a leader in the classroom where he will gain a degree in business management with a GPA of 3.75 alongside minors in Marketing and Real Estate.
 
After graduating in June 2022, Summers plans to turn pro and test himself against the best tennis players in the world by joining the ATP tour, an opportunity which he himself describes as "a lifelong dream for all tennis players". When asked on how he would like to be remembered by the tennis players, in his typical selfless manor he smiled and replied, "I hope the people know how much I care about them as individuals, I like to think I have helped the program, but it's the relationships which I will cherish the most".

After over 4 months off the match court, I was invited to play a private tournament in Walmer on their top-quality grass courts. It was a long 5 days, where I played 11 matches in total. I came away from the tournament winning both the singles and doubles event. I was paired for doubles with my regular partner James Davis. 

During the group stages, I picked up 4 wins out of 5, which put me second in my group behind Nick Brooks, who is also in America playing for North Western. Coming second in the group made me qualify for the semi-finals, where I came up against my doubles partner James Davis. I ended up winning 6-4 6-4, playing some good tennis. I then re-faced Nick Brooks in the final and managed to get the better of him this time. I have focused a lot during the lockdown on my fitness and I was pleased that this really help me win long matches in 30 degree plus heat and continue my winning form. 

In the doubles, James and I managed to win all 4 matches, dropping just 1 set. After playing hundreds of matches together in recent years, we hit the ground running and kept up the winning form we discovered during the season in America. 

Looking forward, I am heading back to America in the end of August and I am going to be training and preparing for our season beginning in January 2021. 

Matt & James Davis are ranked the 21st-best doubles tandem in the country according to the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Rankings.

Davis/Summers were previously ranked 35th, but rose 14 spots after their 6-0 start to the season at #1. The duo has dropped only three games in its last four doubles matches. Individually, Davis and Summers have each found success with 6-0 marks on the singles court.

Matt Summers of the Denver Pioneers men's tennis team was named Summit League Player of the Week.

Matt went 3-0 at #1 doubles and 3-0 at #1 singles in the Pioneers' trio of victories against Bryant, Metro State and Weber State last week. Matt won two of his three singles matches in straight sets, coming from behind for his final singles victory, a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7) win against Kris van Wyk (Weber State). On the doubles court, Matt won by scores of 6-2, 6-1 and 6-1 with partner James Davis.

The Denver Pioneers men's tennis team ranked no.1 in the Summit League preseason poll and Matt Summers was named the player to watch.
 
Denver received 35 points and 5 first-place votes in the poll. Last season, the Pioneers posted a 13-9 (6-0 Summit League) record before falling to Drake in the Summit League championship. Denver has won four Summit League championships in the last six years to earn bids in the NCAA tournament.
 
Matt Summers is among seven returners for the Pioneers. He went 12-8 in singles and 13-5 in doubles last season. Matt and partner James Davis were recently ranked 35th in the country in the final Fall ITA Doubles National Rankings after defeating the fourth-ranked tandem in the country at the ITA National Fall Championships.