Some spend their entire lives dreaming of the chance to compete for a championship; others have the opportunity to live that dream.

Tomorrow, Ohio State junior Jeremy Wurtzman will compete for the men’s tennis team in the National Collegiate Indoor Championship in Dallas, Texas.

Participation in the event is by invitation to the top 32 ranked players in the country. Wurtzman began the preseason ranked 21.

Wurtzman competed in the same tournament last year, making it to the second round – round 16 – before losing. That inspired him to work harder to advance further this year, using the summer to prepare.

“This summer I played a bunch of pro-future events, about nine or 10, and picked up some points,” Wurtzman said.

Wurtzman has been playing tennis since he was five. He has received advice from his older brother, Marc Wurtzman, a former OSU player and current assistant coach who will be traveling to Dallas with his brother.

“I try to motivate him. I’m pretty good with strategy myself,” Marc Wurtzman said. “I tell him what he has to do to beat people.”

Ty Tucker, in his fourth year as OSU men’s tennis coach, feels Wurtzman has a good chance of winning this tournament.

“Jeremy’s one of the best players in the country for sure,” Tucker said. “If he comes out and plays solid, he should be fine.”

Tucker said in tennis, the ability to return the opponent’s serve is a crucial skill, and Wurtzman is one of the best at it in the country.

Wurtzman knows his strengths and weaknesses.

“My strengths are definitely my forehand and my return,” he said. “My backhand is definitely weaker than my forehand. I’ve worked a lot on it, trying to get better.”

He said his serve can be both a strength when it is working and a weakness when it is not.

Wurtzman said his ultimate goal is to play tennis professionally.

“After college I’m definitely planning on training and playing for as long as I can play and see how far I can get up to in the world (rankings),” Wurtzman said.

For now Wurtzman is concentrating on making the most out of his collegiate career.