Christopher "Chris" O'Connell (born 3 June 1994) is an Australian professional tennis player. He grew up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. O'Connell reached a career high ATP singles ranking of 114 on 3 February 2020. He made his ATP Tour debut in January 2017 in his hometown at the Sydney International. Chris sat down in early 2020 for this exclusive interview with Tennis Acumen.
TENNIS ACUMEN: Chris, I know some guys on the tour just love to win, more than anything. Some guys just hate to lose. Where are you on that spectrum?
CHRIS O’CONNELL: I think you have to be very competitive to play this sport, and I am extremely competitive. But I also like playing really nice tennis. So, winning is not the biggest priority. If I go out there and lose and play nice tennis, then I'm not going to be too upset. At the end of the day, it’s a very competitive sport. That does outweigh everything else, the competitive side of the game.
TENNIS ACUMEN: Now what are some of your favorite cities on the tour, places that you love to go?
CHRIS O’CONNELL: I do love Europe, especially the fact that you could be in one country and then catch a train to another country with an entirely different culture. I love that aspect of Europe, but then I also love being in America because it feels closer to home. Everyone speaks English. I spend a lot of time in Southern California and that's pretty similar to where I live on the northern beaches in Sydney.
TENNIS ACUMEN: Absolutely brilliant. And what is your life going to be like one year from now, Chris?
CHRIS O’CONNELL: One year from now, I hope to be the top hundred. Now, I'm playing all the major tournaments. So., that's it. That's a goal of mine. Hopefully, I'm there in a year’s time.
TENNIS ACUMEN: Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks for your time, Chris. I really appreciate it.
CHRIS O’CONNELL: Thanks, Karl.
Comments