Jeffrey John "J. J." Wolf (born December 21, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 120 in September 2020. Wolf played collegiately at The Ohio State University, where he was the #1 ranked player in college tennis. J. J. sat with Karl Corbett of Tennis Acumen at the Knoxville Challenger in November, 2019. Here is part of that exclusive interview.
Tennis Acumen: We are with Jeffrey John Wolf talking about the college game. J.J., when did you make the decision to play college tennis, as opposed to going straight on the tour?
J. J. Wolf: For me it was never an option to go straight onto the tour. I always knew I was going to go to college. My parents raised me with that idea in my head and I wanted to get a feel for the education. I also loved the team environment college provides. So, it was a great idea for me to go to college. It helped my game a lot and I made some of the best friends I could ask for.
Tennis Acumen: Tell me about that team experience it's a bit different on the tour
J. J. Wolf: Yeah, I'm pretty lucky. I've got one of my former teammates on tour with me right around the same ranking. So, we get to play the same tournaments, which is nice. I still get a little bit of that feel but I know a lot of these guys are out there on their own. That's not my personality. I'd rather have a team around me. S
Tennis Acumen: In college, it seems everything is pretty structured. Things are arranged for you: food, meals, travel. All you have to do is play tennis and go to class, right? How would you describe that shock when you go on the pro tour and have to do everything yourself?
J. J. Wolf: I've been lucky in this regard, also. I've had a lot of help from the agency I signed with, my coaches as well as my family, helping make that transition as smooth as possible. It is definitely a little bit of a shock when you all you're thinking about is tennis. At school, I could socialize with my friends, went to classes, but after a month or two, I got used to it a little more. I kind of had a shaky start there, but I'm getting accustomed to it.
Tennis Acumen: What was the biggest surprise making that transition?
J. J. Wolf: I don’t know if it was a surprise, but the biggest shock was just how consistently high the level of play was, with everyone. I just hadn't thought about it before You make jumps and strides so quickly at all levels, up until the pros. This is, obviously, the last place you can go. After the first couple tournaments, you learn that every match can be a hard one. You know it's a privilege to play against a lot of these guys, so, I’m having fun.
Tennis Acumen: Excellent, JJ, thanks for sharing your experience with us.
J. J. Wolf: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
For more in our series on college tennis, select the 'College Tennis' category, upper right.
Comments