Pramod Dabir has to think back to almost three years ago before he can recall the most poignant memory of his Illinois tennis career – when the Illini won the NCAA Championship as a team in May 2003.

This year, he is hoping to change that.

“It has been a good ride and hopefully, this year, we can top it off with a national championship,” Dabir said.

As a freshman, Dabir watched as teammate Chris Martin clinched Illinois’ first-ever NCAA team title in Athens, Ga., over Vanderbilt. The Illini won 4-3 in the closest match of their perfect 32-0 season.

Dabir would like nothing more than to win another NCAA title before his tennis career is over.

Unlike many of the Illinois tennis players in recent years who have opted for professional tennis careers when they graduate, Dabir will graduate with an electrical engineering degree in May and pursue a career in investment banking. Since Dabir has been a member of the men’s tennis team, four of the nine former Illini he has played with have pursued professional tennis careers.

But, Dabir said, he feels that is not an option for him.

Instead he will take his competitive spirit into the business world, leaving behind tennis, which has been a large part of his life since he started playing at age seven. Still, he is determined to use the work ethic that helped him survive the daunting task of completing an electrical engineering degree while competing as a varsity athlete to his advantage.

“The business that I’m going into is going to be very cutthroat – (it) requires you to put in a lot of work and a lot of time,” Dabir said. “Instead of putting forth (that effort) into tennis and academics, it will go into my job.”

Another key to Dabir’s success in the future – which he has proved repeatedly on the tennis courts – will be his resiliency.

In 2003, he spent the majority of the summer recovering from a stress fracture in his leg, only to earn a place in the doubles main draw of the U.S. Open.

In 2004, he was sidelined with an arm injury and did not play after April 18. That year, the Illini reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships, only to fall just short of another national title, losing to UCLA. That match, Dabir said, will leave a “bitter taste forever.”

“It was hard to let that one go, being so close to winning another national championship,” Dabir said. “It was something that I will never forget.”

Still, Dabir said, the positive memories that he has created throughout his years at Illinois will far exceed the disappointments when he graduates.

Most importantly, there are the people he has met through tennis, that have altered his life – his teammates, the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly at the Atkins Tennis Center and the numerous friends he has made while at Illinois.

Many of Dabir’s former teammates still influence him today as he prepares for his final Big Ten season this spring and the challenges that another NCAA Championship run could entail.

For the first time in his career, Dabir must be a leader for the large sophomore class and lone freshman on the Illini team.

“He is definitely a student-athlete in every sense of the word,” sophomore Brandon Davis said.

The new leadership role may have additional significance this year, after former head coach Craig Tiley resigned to take over player development for Tennis Australia. This, however, is not the first coaching change the Illini have seen in recent years. After the 2004 season, then-Illinois associate head coach Bruce Berque took the head-coaching job at Michigan.

And although the Illini are performing well with new coaches at the helm of the program, the team is decidedly different than last season.

“The famous quote is, ‘Champions adapt,'” Dabir said. “If we’re going to be the best, than we have to be able to adapt to the coaches and just make the chemistry work.”

The Illini have quite remarkable chemistry too.

Davis said he admires the positive attitude Dabir brings to practices and his easygoing nature, which, Davis said, makes him one of the team’s easiest targets for practical jokes – especially since he is always five minutes late, giving his teammates time to plan another prank.

Despite his tardiness and his forgetfulness, which is how he is sure he will be remembered by his teammates, the Illini would be a much different team without him.

“Outside of his tennis, we’d miss something without Pramod,” Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. “He is a very lovable character.”

Dabir is seemingly always upbeat, offering high-fives and words of encouragement to his doubles partners. He raps along with the team’s warm-up tape to help stay loose and has a little kick in his step that seems to reflect his sunny disposition. And, he goes out of his way to be helpful.

His caring nature can be seen in how well he takes care of his younger teammates. When sophomore Ruben Gonzales lived in the dorms as a freshman, Dabir would constantly shuttle him back and forth between Atkins Tennis Center and Taft Residence Hall, where Gonzales lived, the sophomore recalled.

“He has a certain pulse and a certain vivaciousness that he gives this team,” Dancer said.

His influence has grown exponentially throughout his career as he has grown and developed as both a tennis player and a person.

“As you get older, you realize that you have a lot more responsibilities to take care of and that you’re going to be moving on to something completely different,” Dabir said. “And so, you have to be able to set your priorities straight and focus and go after it.”

What does “going after it” mean for a student with three Big Ten Tournament titles, three Big Ten regular season championships and an NCAA championship on his resume? For Dabir, it means internalizing the feeling he gets when he plays at home during the indoor season. On those nights, Dabir and the Illini play in front of a packed, frenzied, orange-clad crowd that exudes energy the team feeds off of. It also means helping his team in any way he can by becoming the best tennis player he can be before he leaves college.

“It is sad – it really is,” Dabir said about his last year. ” Every time I go out there I think to myself, ‘Go out and hit the ball, this is your last year of tennis, what are you scared of?’ That is why when you have these opportunities you can’t let it go, you have to take advantage of it.”By Amber Greviskes

Senior writer

Pramod Dabir has to think back to almost three years ago before he can recall the most poignant memory of his Illinois tennis career – when the Illini won the NCAA Championship as a team in May 2003.

This year, he is hoping to change that.

“It has been a good ride and hopefully, this year, we can top it off with a national championship,” Dabir said.

As a freshman, Dabir watched as teammate Chris Martin clinched Illinois’ first-ever NCAA team title in Athens, Ga., over Vanderbilt. The Illini won 4-3 in the closest match of their perfect 32-0 season.

Dabir would like nothing more than to win another NCAA title before his tennis career is over.

Unlike many of the Illinois tennis players in recent years who have opted for professional tennis careers when they graduate, Dabir will graduate with an electrical engineering degree in May and pursue a career in investment banking. Since Dabir has been a member of the men’s tennis team, four of the nine former Illini he has played with have pursued professional tennis careers.

But, Dabir said, he feels that is not an option for him.

Instead he will take his competitive spirit into the business world, leaving behind tennis, which has been a large part of his life since he started playing at age seven. Still, he is determined to use the work ethic that helped him survive the daunting task of completing an electrical engineering degree while competing as a varsity athlete to his advantage.

“The business that I’m going into is going to be very cutthroat – (it) requires you to put in a lot of work and a lot of time,” Dabir said. “Instead of putting forth (that effort) into tennis and academics, it will go into my job.”

Another key to Dabir’s success in the future – which he has proved repeatedly on the tennis courts – will be his resiliency.

In 2003, he spent the majority of the summer recovering from a stress fracture in his leg, only to earn a place in the doubles main draw of the U.S. Open.

In 2004, he was sidelined with an arm injury and did not play after April 18. That year, the Illini reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships, only to fall just short of another national title, losing to UCLA. That match, Dabir said, will leave a “bitter taste forever.”

“It was hard to let that one go, being so close to winning another national championship,” Dabir said. “It was something that I will never forget.”

Still, Dabir said, the positive memories that he has created throughout his years at Illinois will far exceed the disappointments when he graduates.

Most importantly, there are the people he has met through tennis, that have altered his life – his teammates, the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly at the Atkins Tennis Center and the numerous friends he has made while at Illinois.

Many of Dabir’s former teammates still influence him today as he prepares for his final Big Ten season this spring and the challenges that another NCAA Championship run could entail.

For the first time in his career, Dabir must be a leader for the large sophomore class and lone freshman on the Illini team.

“He is definitely a student-athlete in every sense of the word,” sophomore Brandon Davis said.

The new leadership role may have additional significance this year, after former head coach Craig Tiley resigned to take over player development for Tennis Australia. This, however, is not the first coaching change the Illini have seen in recent years. After the 2004 season, then-Illinois associate head coach Bruce Berque took the head-coaching job at Michigan.

And although the Illini are performing well with new coaches at the helm of the program, the team is decidedly different than last season.

“The famous quote is, ‘Champions adapt,'” Dabir said. “If we’re going to be the best, than we have to be able to adapt to the coaches and just make the chemistry work.”

The Illini have quite remarkable chemistry too.

Davis said he admires the positive attitude Dabir brings to practices and his easygoing nature, which, Davis said, makes him one of the team’s easiest targets for practical jokes – especially since he is always five minutes late, giving his teammates time to plan another prank.

Despite his tardiness and his forgetfulness, which is how he is sure he will be remembered by his teammates, the Illini would be a much different team without him.

“Outside of his tennis, we’d miss something without Pramod,” Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. “He is a very lovable character.”

Dabir is seemingly always upbeat, offering high-fives and words of encouragement to his doubles partners. He raps along with the team’s warm-up tape to help stay loose and has a little kick in his step that seems to reflect his sunny disposition. And, he goes out of his way to be helpful.

His caring nature can be seen in how well he takes care of his younger teammates. When sophomore Ruben Gonzales lived in the dorms as a freshman, Dabir would constantly shuttle him back and forth between Atkins Tennis Center and Taft Residence Hall, where Gonzales lived, the sophomore recalled.

“He has a certain pulse and a certain vivaciousness that he gives this team,” Dancer said.

His influence has grown exponentially throughout his career as he has grown and developed as both a tennis player and a person.

“As you get older, you realize that you have a lot more responsibilities to take care of and that you’re going to be moving on to something completely different,” Dabir said. “And so, you have to be able to set your priorities straight and focus and go after it.”

What does “going after it” mean for a student with three Big Ten Tournament titles, three Big Ten regular season championships and an NCAA championship on his resume? For Dabir, it means internalizing the feeling he gets when he plays at home during the indoor season. On those nights, Dabir and the Illini play in front of a packed, frenzied, orange-clad crowd that exudes energy the team feeds off of. It also means helping his team in any way he can by becoming the best tennis player he can be before he leaves college.

“It is sad – it really is,” Dabir said about his last year. ” Every time I go out there I think to myself, ‘Go out and hit the ball, this is your last year of tennis, what are you scared of?’ That is why when you have these opportunities you can’t let it go, you have to take advantage of it.”