John Patrick Smith, from Australia, attended the University of Tennessee from 2007 through 2011, where he was a four-time All-American and made it to the college No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles. Tennis Acumen talked with JP in early 2020. Here's one part of that exclusive interview.
Tennis Acumen: We are talking with John Patrick Smith. J.P., how did you first get started in tennis?
J. P. Smith: As a kid, growing up, I was into many different sports. Swimming was my first sport. I swam from ages 6 to 12 and then I started tennis around 8. Tennis complemented my swimming, but after a point, tennis was full time, as far as my main focus . I still was into other sports, well into high school.
Tennis Acumen: How did your family play into sports activity, and your decision to play tennis?
J. P. Smith: My family was great, in the sense that they were pretty open to what I did and supported my choices. That's why I played many sports, just because they're pretty chill. My family is very relaxed, so whatever I wanted to do they were very supportive. It was good.
Tennis Acumen: That’s a brilliant thing. You played college tennis. How in the world did you come to play college tennis in the USA, growing up halfway around the world?
J. P. Smith: We have a big Australian connection at the University of Tennessee. So. It's been an Australian on the team since 1987. So every year there’s this kind of pedigree that comes through. There's gonna be at least one Australian coming through. I think we’ve got three on the team right now at Tennessee. So, we've got a few and it's kind of cool gong back there and training. Always nice seeing an Aussie there. It's very nice, very unique.
Tennis Acumen: Now you've played a lot on the tour since college. How would you describe the tennis experience as a player at college?
J. P. Smith: It's very structured, and it's a lot of fun. It's very well run. You know, you've had people doing stuff for you. Basically, all you have to do is play tennis and go to class. Everything else is taken care for you: the travel arrangements, the tournaments you are playing. That's all taken care of. All you have to do is study and play tennis. Obviously, when you leave college, it's a whole new beast . You have to find yourself. You have to schedule tournaments, schedule your training, schedule your workouts in the gym. It's a different level.
Tennis Acumen: Now, did you consider going straight to the tour?
J. P. Smith: No, never. I it was all about education. I've got my education now, so it takes a little weight off the shoulders. I don’t have to go back to school as mature age student.
Tennis Acumen: Right. And the experience of playing as part of a team, as opposed to singles or doubles on tour?
J. P. Smith: That’s the other unique factor about college tennis. You don't get that on the tour. It’s good to factor in those four years, where you can enjoy that, build on your game with your teammates. You make new friends and new memories there in college, memories you still talk about today, even.
Tennis Acumen: That's brilliant.
For more in our series on college tennis, select the 'College Tennis' category, upper right.
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