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Matthew Fullerton worried the stress fracture in his ankle would impact more than just his tennis. He feared it would hinder his college recruiting.

Fullerton suffered the injury during the prime time of the process when college coaches were watching and checking his scores. As other players his age began committing, Fullerton wondered if he was missing out on some great opportunities.

Matthew Fullerton and His Parents at a Signing Day Celebration at Edina High

“It was definitely hard knowing that I couldn’t play and I couldn’t get any results for the coaches. They couldn’t see me play,” Fullerton said. “It took me a long time to recover with my match play in general and getting back into that competitive mindset.”

Before his injury, Fullerton had established a relationship with University of Wisconsin head coach Danny Westerman and assistant coach Urban Ljubic. The Badgers were the first program to speak to him in person.

“I had a tournament where I didn’t really do well and I was still mad about everything and how I was recovering. That is when Danny called me and we had a phone call,” Fullerton said. “Then, a few weeks later is when he offered me and that is when things kind of turned around.”