Playing tennis at a high level is in the blood for Oklahoma senior and Australia native Andrew Harris. Harris picked up his first tennis racquet when he was 4 years old and has been a force to be reckoned with ever since.
Even at a young age, Harris’ parents realized his love for sports, and he soon became known for his competitiveness. That competitiveness is what has set Harris apart at Oklahoma, giving him an edge he hopes will carry him to the professional level.
“You have to fight every match no matter who you are playing,” Harris said. “Just that little competitiveness is going to take you a long way in the pro tournaments.”
A family affair
On March 7, 1994, Harris was born into a family of tennis gurus. With a tennis player as a mom and a tennis coach as a dad, he had plenty of inspiration.
Harris’ mother, Anne Minter, played professional tennis in Australia. She was ranked as high as No. 23 in the world, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in 1988, and the fourth round of Wimbledon twice.
Harris’ father, Graeme Harris, played college tennis at Middle Tennessee State. Soon after Graeme’s college career ended, he began coaching Minter. He continued as her coach until she retired in 1992.
Minter and Graeme married and had three children. Their oldest daughter, Caterina, didn’t pursue tennis, but Andrew and younger sister, Samantha, chose to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
“Growing up in a tennis family (my parents) always knew sort of the process of it,” Samantha said. “So they knew it doesn’t come quickly, they knew that you’ve got to be patient, and they’re always able to help you.”
The Harris family has a close bond with each other outside of tennis, Samantha said, adding that she can go to her brother about anything and he will give her “good brotherly” advice.
Samantha, who plays at Duke University, keeps in touch with Andrew mainly through texting.
“Every couple of weeks we’ll send each other some texts,” Samantha said. “We’re always following each other’s scores and teams when they are playing.”
Samantha said she looks up to Andrew, and frequently asks him for advice about the pressures of playing No. 1 singles.
“Even though we are in different states, I know I can always text him to get advice from him, and it’s different from say, your parents, or anyone else because they haven’t been through the similar situations,” Samantha said.
Making an impact
Harris arrived at OU in spring 2014, choosing to play for the Sooners in part because of now former coach John Roddick’s ability to mold players. His decision would prove to be pivotal for OU, as Harris would help lead the Sooners to three consecutive National Championship appearances.
Harris finished his freshman season at No. 53 in the ITA ranking while going 20-5 in singles play. He collected multiple accolades, including being named 2014 ITA Rookie Player of the Year, while helping the Sooners reach their first NCAA championship match in program history.
Despite having an impressive freshman season, Harris said he still had room to improve.
“You just (have) to keep going in practice and listening to coaches and having an open mind,” Harris said.
Harris continued his dominance as a sophomore, collecting more awards and becoming a 2015 ITA All-American in singles. He finished the season ranked No. 8 in singles, 12-5 against opponents ranked in the ITA top 30.
“(I’m) just more mature as a person and as a player,” Harris said looking back at his growth since his sophomore season. “(I) just understand my game better and have just been constantly improving since my sophomore year, and obviously you need to if you want to be a professional tennis player.”
Due to a knee injury, Harris didn’t make his junior year debut until the fifth match of the season. He didn’t play a singles match until OU played TCU, the 19th match of the season. Even with his knee injury, he was recognized many times, including being named an All-Big 12 selection in singles.
Unexpected return
Harris left Oklahoma after his junior season, returning to Australia to start his professional career. Upon his arrival, he found that what he thought was a “tweak” was more serious. The diagnosis was a chronic groin injury, which would keep Harris out six to seven months. With the help of his family, he decided it was best to return to OU to play his final season and receive a degree in management.
When Harris returned, Roddick had left the program to become the University of Central Florida’s director of tennis and men’s tennis coach. The senior was then faced with a new coach in Nick Crowell.
This season, Harris was impressive in both singles and doubles, ranking as the nation’s No. 32 singles player. He finished the regular season 6-6 at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, as well as finishing 8-3 at No. 1 doubles with junior Spencer Papa.
Crowell said Harris is a great player who plays singles at the top of the lineup, which helps the team’s depth.
“He’s professional in what he does—I mean taking care of his own business,” Crowell said. “(He) leads in the locker room very well, speaks up when he needs to, helps the younger guys, and I would say he is a great leader by example.”
End of the road
On Thursday, Harris’ time as a Sooner came to an end in fitting fashion. One match away from the Elite 8, Oklahoma’s fate was in Harris’ hands. The competitive spirit he’s lauded for was on full display as he forced the match to come down to a tiebreaker. He would fall short in the end, dropping the tiebreaker 7-2 and ending the Sooners’ championship run.
With winter in full swing in Australia, Harris will stay in Oklahoma for a month or two to play in tournaments before returning home. After a successful college career and unexpected obstacles, he’ll finally get the chance to live out a lifelong dream.
“My ultimate goal is to be a professional tennis player and play in all of the grand slams, and play in the Davis Cup, obviously for Australia, but that’s some ultimate goals,” Harris said. “That’s what I’ve dreamt of since I was a young kid, and I hope to get there one day.”
