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Q&A:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
Brendan
Evans: the next Andy Roddick?
By
Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net
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Susan
Mullane
Camerawork USA, Inc.
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It
seems like only yesterday – it was less than two years ago
– that the United States tennis community was in a state
of anxiety. The reason: There was no heir apparent to the men’s
tennis throne that would fill the big shoes of Pete Sampras and
Andre Agassi.
Lots
of names were mentioned, but they just didn’t pan out. That
is until Andy Roddick came along and took the tour by storm in
2001, his first year on the tour. Roddick started 2001 as the
No. 160 player in the world, having played only a handful of ATP
Tour-level events around his schedule as the most prominent junior
in the world in 2000. By the time he completed his first full
year on tour this November, he was sitting comfortably at No.
14 on the computer, was a Davis Cup hero and had even posted a
victory over Sampras at the Ericsson Open last March.
With
Roddick cemented as the next American star, people were breathing
easier, but still searching for some other Yankee Doodle Dandies
to join Andy at the top. Still not ready for prime time yet, there
is no denying that another potential tennis celebrity has been
discovered in 15-year-old Brendan Evans. The South Florida-based
teenager plays an aggressive game and shows a great maturity in
his on court and off court preparation, that even includes the
assistance of a nutritionist. He worked briefly in 2000 with Tarik
Benhabiles, but the Boca Raton-based Frenchman was starting to
travel on the tour full-time with main charge Andy Roddick, so
Evans turned to 1976 French Open finalist Harold Solomon to take
over the coaching reigns.
When
a passion for tennis took hold and Evans showed he had the talent,
his parents made the sacrifice to disrupt their lives for his
training. Mom Eileen, a former registered nurse, moved to South
Florida with her youngest of three sons – oldest son, Collin,
is a junior at Cornell and the captain of the water polo team,
and middle son, Nolan, is a high school senior at boarding school
in Philadelphia and also captain of his school’s water polo
team. Dad Tom, a senior executive with Collins & Aikman, a
successful automotive concern that produces interior design for
cars, commutes to South Florida most weekends from homes in Detroit
or Chicago.
At
the recent year-ending junior events in Florida – the Eddie
Herr International and the 55th Burger King Orange Bowl International
Junior tournament – Evans closed out his time in the 16-and-unders
with two semifinal showings. While the 6-foot-2-inch Evans did
not walk away with either titles, his talent is considered a no-miss
for the future. Armed with determination and dedication, Evans
was good enough to receive a Nike endorsement.
tennisreporters.net:
Brendan, tell us how you became interested in tennis and what
appeals to you about the sport?
Brendan Evans: I used to just
pick up the racket at the country club when my mom would play
doubles back in Wisconsin. When I was about nine, I said I wanted
to start taking lessons and my mom said, ‘Yeah, sure.’
A month later, I entered a tournament and did pretty well. My
other sports were soccer, basketball and swimming. I liked tennis,
though, because I find it a thrill that you are in charge of your
own destiny on the court. It’s such a hard sport to play
and people don’t really respect it that much. I enjoy it.
I love it. People think it’s like a wimpy type of sport.
But it really is one of the hardest sports – you need to
have good eye-hand coordination, you’ve got to be quick,
have a lot of endurance, have to be smart with strategy, and have
to be strong to hit the ball.
tr.net:
How much are your parents involved in your tennis?
Evans: My parents encouraged
me to do what I wanted to do, what I liked. I really liked tennis
so they said go with it. They really support me now. When I’m
practicing, my parents don’t come around – they stay
out of practice. They do like to watch me play in tournaments.
tr.net:
Tell us about your game – what are your strengths? Weaknesses?
What are you working on?
Evans: My strengths are my
serve, my forehand and my volleys. I like the net. I need to work
on my footwork, my mental approach, not letting things bother
me, staying into the match at hand, staying focus. Actually, I
have to work on everything in my game all the time. I think staying
focused comes with time, getting older, with maturity.
tr.net:
When did you start working with Harold Solomon and how is that
going?
Evans: I started working with
him last year, right after the U.S. Open. My mom called him up
and she asked him if he could play with me. He said he wasn’t
sure if he had time or not, but he squeezed me in a couple of
times and he really helped my game and I knew he was such a good
coach. At the time, the USTA 14-and-under coach Steve DeVries
told me to call Harold, that he had just stopped working with
Capriati and he would be a good coach for me. I had been working
with Tarik for a couple of months and before that with Rick Macci
for a year. But it was hard with Tarik because one time he was
gone (with Andy) for two-and-a-half months.
tr.net:
Are you too young to know what you hope for in terms of tennis
in the future or have you already set any goals for your tennis
career?
Evans: To really be the best
I can be, but I know that people always say that’s what everybody
says. I really want to fulfill my potential and I’m going
to do that any way I can, to work as hard as I can. Harold is
the greatest coach I’ve ever had and he’s really helped
my game. One day, winning a Grand Slam that would be the best.
I’d say Wimbledon or the U.S. Open would be the ones I want
the most. So far I’ve only played one grass court tournament
in Philadelphia; it was real slippery.
tr.net:
You’ve started to experience a bit what it is like to travel
as a tennis player in your junior career. What do you think about
that aspect of the job?
Evans: It’s really fun
to play tournaments because I get to see a lot of friends. I get
to see friends and I get to experience a lot of places, a lot
of cultures, and a lot of climates. It’s a lot of fun. I
liked Italy and I like the Caribbean a lot, but you can’t
get any better than Florida. Florida is the best. But I’m
going to Australia for the first time in January and I heard it
was great there – real laid back, but that the trip is hard.
tr.net::
What are your plans in terms of turning pro?
Evans: I really want to turn
pro, but I’ll see about college when the time comes. I’m
figuring I’ll turn pro in two years. I’m signed with
IMG – we’ve had a relationship for a long time, probably
a relationship for a year-and-a-half, but officially around six
months. My Nike contract started about a month ago. I think the
contract is about five years. It’s such a great company and
I always dreamed about Nike and now they support me.
tr.net:
Talk about your schooling. What subjects do you take and subjects
do you like?
Evans: I do home schooling
through the University of Nebraska, but I see tutors four nights
a week for American History, Chemistry, Algebra II, and Spanish
because those are tough subjects to teach your self. I do English
on my own. This is my second year doing home schooling. Before
that I used to go to the Gulliver School in Miami. I love to read
a lot of history books and my tutor told me about a great biography
about General Sherman that I want to get and read. I recently
read a book about James Madison. I think George Washington has
done the most for this country. He was a general for the British
during the French and Indian War, and then he was a general for
the U.S. in the Revolution, and he was the first president. I
like to read mystery books, historical books and sports books.
I like Agatha Christie. She was a great author. I love her books.
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