The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Making his debut
UGA career prepared Austin Smith to make his professional debut.
How college career prepared Austin Smith to make his pro tennis debut this week.
Former Georgia tennis player Austin Smith will embark on his first major test when he plays in the BB&T Atlanta Open this week. While the recent graduate will face one of the tougher fields in tournament history, he’s not letting the magnitude of the moment get to him.
“It’s a fun challenge,” Smith said. “It’s a great opportunity, and if I go out and play my game, I feel like I have an opportunity against most players in the world.”
Smith received a wild-card bid for the main singles draw to participate in this year’s tournament. The invitation comes after a fantastic close to Smith’s college career, as he led the SEC with 19 dual-match victories and was the active career leader in SEC singles victories with 127.
Smith explained that he’d had the chance to play in the Atlanta Open before, but a scheduling snafu by the young player meant it wasn’t going to happen at that time.
“I’ll be sure and never let that happen again,” Smith said.
Smith’s time at Georgia can explain his lack of nerves. Playing under longtime coach Manny Diaz meant being put in crucial situations throughout Smith’s four years in Athens.
The results show Smith was up to the challenge. In his run with the Bulldogs, Georgia captured four SEC regular-season titles and advanced to the NCAA semifinals in May.
“Manny prepares us pretty well for all our big moments in the season,” Smith said. “Getting ready for the big matches is what it’s all about. When we went to NCAAs, he said, ‘Guys, if you don’t want to be here in a place where there’s a lot of pressure, you came to the wrong place.’”
Another former Bulldog, threetime Atlanta Open winner John Isner, can attest to how valuable this bid can be for Smith.
Isner was in Smith’s shoes nine years ago when he received a bid to play in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C. Isner made the most of his chance, winning five consecutive matches before losing to Andy Roddick in the finals. From there, Isner gained more recognition and matched the hype with tremendous play on the court.
Isner said Smith could do something similar in Atlanta.
“I know he’s a fantastic talent,” Isner said of Smith. “When you play No. 1 at Georgia, you’re a very good tennis player. He’s got a good chance to make a lot of noise in Atlanta.”
Smith understands he has a lot of work to do, but that’s not going to stop him from enjoying the moment.
The Cumming native said the location means he’ll have plenty of friends, family and teammates on hand to watch the start of his professional career. Diaz will almost assuredly be there, as well as Georgia assistant coach Bo Hodge, who formed a friendship with Isner when they played for Diaz.
When asked for his goal for this tournament, Smith stayed realistic.
Sure, a victory over a highly ranked opponent would be a nice touch, but an early loss shouldn’t be considered a failure. Winning or losing aside, Smith sees this as a chance to pick up lessons that can propel him forward as he makes his way onto the ATP World Tour.
“I want to learn as much as I can,” Smith said. “As you go through life, you want to just keep learning and learning. These are the kinds of tournaments I want to play week in and week out. Hopefully I can get a taste of what life could be like if I’m successful on tour.”