Pan takes step in development on tennis court

Grafton High School sophomore Michael Pan said he still gets nervous at the start of some teniis matches.

His opponents can’t feel much better.

Pan qualified for the Division 2 state meet for the second time in as many seasons, and this time he came in with a 7 seed. 

Pan cruised past Tim Brayer of Catholic Memorial, 6-1, 6-0.

“It was a little bit nerve-wracking to start. In the first game I was all tight and stiff. I started loosening up more toward the second set,” Pan said.

Then he played a tight match against New Berlin Eisenhower’s Tommy Heinrich.

Pan won the first set, 6-2, lost the second by the same score, sending the match into a tiebreaker. Heinrich pulled it out, 11-9.

“Toward the end I felt like I couldn’t even raise my arm,” Pan said. “My goal was to just hit it back in. I just went back to lobbing it.”

Pan, who overcame back, shoulder and arm issues to be named to the North Shore Conference first team this season after earning second team honors in 2024, plans to play in some United States Tennis Association tournaments this summer to hone his game.

He started playing tennis when he was 4. His brother helped Marquette High School win a state title and his cousin took second at girls’ state for Muskego.

“I mainly just like the competitiveness,” Pan said of the sport.

“It has been awesome to see his development over the course of this year. He has much more endurance, which has helped him win more matches and stay in close matches longer than last year,” coach Joe Brown said.

Pan said he likes to hang by the baseline but will charge the net as needed. He likes to watch pro Jannik Sinner’s backhand and would like to improve his serving consistency.