Pero Looks to Improve Mentally, Physically on Tennis Court

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(August 28, 2022 7:47 AM) Columbia Central High School tennis player Daniel Pero is one of those student-athletes who should be attending a prep school and playing tennis at the highest level.

He is somewhat of a homebody who likes living the quiet life. 

Pero says he enjoys lake living, being close to his high school, and his surrounding teammates and coaches.

But the No. 1 singles player from the quiet town of Brooklyn won’t have a chance to sneak up on opponents. The cat was out of the bag last fall as Pero advanced to the Michigan High School Athletic Association state semifinals in Division 4 before losing his first match of the season.

“I didn’t know about (the level of) high school tennis in the area,” Pero said. “I live right down the road and I like all of the people here … (Coach) Dana (Daniels) is great.”

Pero got off to a slow start last year recovering from a back injury and experiencing a number of rainouts in the season. By the time regionals rolled about, Pero only had five matches.

With the urging of Daniels and other regional coaches, Pero was awarded a top seed and he made the most of it – winning a regional title at No. 1 singles and only giving up one point in the process.

Pero said he has recovered from a back injury from three years ago and had a solid summer of tennis and working out. 

“If you really want to be good at a sport, you have to work really hard,” Pero said. “Once you are on the court, you have to fight through things yourself.”

Pero said that is the biggest lesson he learned last fall in the state finals. 

“I learned that I have some work to do if I want to win this year,” Pero said. “I need to get a little better at strategy.

“At the highest level, everyone’s stroke is good … it is just a matter of who performs better.”

Pero will compete in a United States Tennis Association event in Grand Rapids next weekend – facing some of the top players in his age category. He is a Level 4 player who plays a lot of tennis against his brother – Anthony – a senior on the Michigan State University tennis team.

“My short term goal is to play Division 1 tennis,” Pero said. “We will see what happens after that.”

Pero is 5-0 this season having given up only five points in five matches so far this season. He is a 4.0 student at CCHS and is entering the early college curriculum this year.