Ben Smith speaks to one of UEL’s sports scholars…
University of East London’s men’s tennis team are on the rise.
The first team can boast three successive promotions, and two consecutive South Eastern Conference Cups.
In the 2012-2013 season, they edged out Kent’s second string and won the South Eastern 4B Division. After that triumph, they went on to recruit a number of talented scholars, one of whom is the big-serving Michael Suleau.
Scunthorpe-born Suleau arrived in the autumn of 2013, and hit the ground running at the Connaught Club.
UEL topped Division 3B in the 2013-14 campaign comfortably, and went on to win the league without losing a single match. On their way to league success, they also added the maiden regional Conference Cup to their resume and overcome higher tier opposition.
It’s been a similar story for Suleau and his teammates this season. His side won Division 2B, and just one loss during the entire campaign (to Queen Mary, and without Suleau and other key players in the side) put a minuscule blemish on an otherwise immaculate record.
The cup was also retained, courtesy of a 12-0 rout of South Eastern 2A Division champions Surrey in the final at Royal Holloway Sports Centre.
Although the competition hasn’t been particularly difficult, Suleau is still pleased with how the club has progressed.
“I think it’s been a successful season,” the 22-year-old told Rising East.
“Our team has done really well this year, we have won the league and the cup.
“We got a bronze medal in the individuals, and the women got a silver medal as well, so I think in general it’s been a very successful year.
“Not to be disrespectful to the other teams but I always thought we were going to win the cup because we’ve got a very strong team. It was more challenging than the league but I always felt like it was in our control, so we did well.”
They will ply their trade in South Eastern Division 2A next season. It will be a slightly tougher test for UEL, but they have already demolished several 2A outfits, as well as 1A and Premier Division sides in the cup competitions and friendlies.
“I think the quality will be a little bit better [in Division 2A],” Suleau added.
“With the team we’ve got, we should really be in the Premier Division. We’ve played teams in that division and we’ve beaten them.
“It’s going to take time [to reach the Premier Division] but we’ve got to get through it, because we’ve got to get up there. I still think our team should be higher, but that’s just the way it is.”
Suleau boasts a career-high ATP ranking of #1563, and has competed in Challenger and Futures events across Europe.
University matches have been comparably easier, but the Lincolnshire man has no regrets about becoming a scholar at UEL.
“I was expecting [the standard] to be a lot higher than it is. I guess people compare it to universities in America, and the level there is a lot higher than it is here.
“I definitely made the right decision [to go to UEL]. With tennis, it’s so difficult to make it as a professional, so it’s nice to have a bit of support from the university here and also get a degree at the same time as something to fall back on.”
While tennis may be the ultimate priority for Suleau – who has previously lived in Spain on an extended training camp – he still takes his studies seriously.
“It’s not easy,” he admitted.
“Sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice training for getting work done.
“I’m hoping maybe next year to go part-time with my studies so I can play more. I’ll be 23 next year so I want to try and play more. I’m only getting older so I want to put more effort into my tennis.”
Whether he plays professionally or otherwise, Suleau just wants to make a living out of tennis – the one thing that he has possessed a passion for since his infant years.
“I’m already doing a bit of coaching. I’m doing my level three in the summer, so it’s another thing I can fall back on if tennis doesn’t work out, and something I can make some money out of and it comes naturally to me and has done all my life.”