As the C.C. Lee Open Junior Tennis Tournament gets underway this morning, it will bring back a special memory for Mika Dannen.

The recent graduate of Aberdeen Central was preparing for last year’s event when he started hitting with a friend’s racket. It provided him with the power to hit through the ball, so he asked if he could borrow it for the tourney.

Fast forward 12 months past his high school season and Dannen is now preparing for his final C.C. Lee tournament. He recalled experimenting with the racket and the results it helped to deliver.

“I used the racket a couple of times during lessons and I really liked the racket,” Dannen said, “so I asked if I could borrow it for the tournament, and just kind of fell in love with it and it felt good.”

So what ever happened to that racket?

“It’s actually right here in my hands,” Dannen said during a pre-tournament interview last week.

Dannen played so well with the racket, he decided he wanted to keep it.

“I bought it off of her,” Dannen said. “I just really like that racket.”

While a racket is only a piece of equipment and players still need to know how to wield it, Dannen said a key to his game the past year has been the ability to hit through the ball.

“I think this year I decided to really put more on the ball,” Dannen said.

It resulted in Dannen playing some of the best tennis of his life at the end of his high school career.

Dannen will help to kick off the tournament at 8 this morning in a singles match at the Northern State Courts. He will also play doubles in the tourney with his high school partner Aric Tennant.

Dannen, who works for the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, will also help to work the tournament.

“When I’m not playing, I’ll clock back in and work,” Dannen said.

While playing and working makes for a long day, Dannen said he is able to focus on the task at hand when needed.

“You kind of just switch and forget about working when you’re playing,” Dannen said, “so that’s good.”

Dannen is looking forward to playing some different competition at the C.C. Lee with the prospect of facing some out-of-state players.

“It’s definitely different because we do not play any North Dakota people or Minnesota, and every place really has a different play style,” Dannen said, “so getting used to it right away is going to be a little difficult, but once I get used to it, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Dannen, who plans to take a gap year before attending Lake Area the following year, is still in tennis shape, despite not playing an organized match in about six weeks.

“I haven’t really been shoving junk food down,” Dannen said, “so that’s good.”

Dannen said he enjoys playing singles more than doubles, because then all of the responsibility lands squarely on his shoulders.

“I definitely like singles, because it’s all dependent on me and if I make a mistake I know it’s on me,” Dannen said. “And if I do good, I know it’s on me also, and I like serving a lot.”

It’s his serve that helped take Dannen to the next level this past season.

“Sometime this year, something snapped and I was actually starting to get my serves in,” Dannen said.

The 18-year-old said that serving can dictate what happens throughout a match.

“You can definitely control the game if you get your serves in,” Dannen said.

While the racket and serving have helped Dannen improve his game, a big part of tennis still lies in having the right mental approach.

“Honestly, I think probably 70 percent mental and 30 percent physical,” Dannen said when asked about how much of tennis is physical and how much is mental. “It’s a lot of running around and hitting the ball, but if you’re down on yourself, you’re not going to hit the ball in, so you really need to have a good mental (mindset).”

Dannen said he wants to “win more than I lose” regarding his final showing at the C.C. Lee.

Whatever happens, he plans to enjoy his last youth tournament.

“I’m going to give it my all,” Dannen said, “but most importantly, I’m going to have fun for the last tournament.”