The Cancer Comeback

DOUBLES PLAYER READY TO PLAY after surgery

By Jason Steinberg

It’s tough for a team to recover from seeing one of their best doubles players being afflicted with a serious medical condition. But the Tennessee Men’s 4.0 team from Nashville has advanced.

Ben Tull had to stay off the tennis courts for about two and a half months due to a cancerous cyst on his belt line. The cyst has been there for years, but Tull did not find out it was cancerous until recently. Luckily the cyst was a small one and easy to operate on.

“I kind of dodged a bullet,” he said.

Tull underwent successful surgery about seven weeks ago and is ready to compete here in Mobile.

Tull was just recently able to get out on the court and start practicing. He got out two days ago and began to prepare for Sectionals. When asked about how well he thought he would play, Tull responded with, “We will find out today if my game has come back.” Tull seemed eager to get back to playing.

Tull was only able to play two local matches before he had to take a break from the game. The team competed in their state championships without him and was able to advance and give Tull an opportunity to compete at Sectionals.

Tull said, “It was hard to stay off the courts. I played two to three times a week before I had to stop.”

With Tull now back and playing, these guys are ready to try to qualify for Nationals. The entire team can now let their competitive nature come out and enjoy everyone’s company while playing hard.