Tennis success came because of father for Aggies’ Sarah Lowe
The game of tennis is played by millions of people all over the world. In Europe, the popularity of tennis is second only to soccer. You could find the next tennis star 5,000 miles away, or right in your own backyard. For Utah State University’s men’s and women’s No. 1 singles, their road to Logan was on a different, yet somewhat similar path.
Sarah Lowe has grown up on tennis all of her life. She says her biggest tennis influence was her father – a local tennis pro who brought her up playing tennis.
“Tennis can be expensive growing up. Going to tournaments and getting new equipment,” said Lowe, “But lessons are so expensive, so my dad has always coached me.”
Lowe said it was hard as a child to take her father’s advice into a game, but as time went on and Lowe’s game improved, everything seemed to click.
“Now that I play college and I’m more mature, I look back on the things he told me, and it all makes sense in my matches now,” Lowe said. “He knows what he’s talking about.”
Lowe had great success in high school. She graduated from Ogden High School in 1998 and reached the state finals her junior year but lost a close match. Her next year, she faced three difficult opponents in one day to take the girls No. 1 singles 3A championship.
Coming out of high school, Lowe decided to come to USU after meeting coach Chris Wright and seeing the campus.
“I had a few other options,” Lowe said. “But it really came down to just coming up here and meeting the coach and seeing the campus.”
Lowe has helped lead the women’s team to a 6-8 mark this year, including 4-3 in its last seven matches. Lowe has been the No. 1 single for the last two years and currently holds a 12-9 record this year and a 7-7 record this spring.
Andy Madersbacher is anything but a Utah local. He hails from Kramsach, Austria and says the road to Logan was unexpected. He lived in Austria until some friends suggested he go to the states to play college tennis when he was 19. He played for one semester at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, then talked to another friend who played tennis at USU for two years. So he gave Utah State a try.
“I had a hard time adjusting, I have been used to clay courts my entire life,” Madersbacher said. “Coach Wright is really nice, he made me feel welcome here.”
Just like Lowe, Madersbacher was introduced to tennis through his father. He was a teacher and a tennis instructor. When he was 12, his tennis coach was at one point ranked 120th in the professional standings.
“He would still help me when I would go back in the summers,” Madersbacher said.
Having a foreign tennis player on the team isn’t unusual. So far, every other No. 1 player Madersbacher has faced has been an international.
“I have not played an American this year,” Madersbacher said. “It’s not an unusual thing.”
Other players on the team are quick to point out Madersbacher’s contribution to the team. Junior Tadd Heinze said he helps out the team in many ways.
“His biggest contribution to the team is he inspires us to want to achieve his same level,” Heinze said.
“Andy has better hands, quicker feet and harder ground strokes than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life, except for a professional player,” Heinze said.
Madersbacher has helped lead the men to a 4-8 record this spring. He has personally recorded an 11-10 record this year and 5-7 this spring.
Andy also has great respect for his female counterpart.
“She is a very good player, and she has a really good stroke,” Madersbacher said. “Everyone knows she can hit against anybody. She is a solid player.”
This year hasn’t been all daisies for the players – they admit some games have been depressing – no matter what they did, the tennis gods wouldn’t smile on them.
“The most frustrating thing is when you know that you have the skills and talent to beat someone, and you can’t pull it out,” said Lowe. “And you can’t pump yourself up, and somehow you get in a rut and you can’t win.”
Lowe and Madersbacher are both influenced by professional players in their own games and in the way they practice.
Lowe said her favorite player is Venus Williams.
“I don’t know if I like her attitude; its not that part of the game that I like,” Lowe said. “It’s her power and her smoothness that is such an inspiration.”
Madersbacher is influenced by European players.
“My favorite professionals are the Spanish players, Carlos Moya or Alex Kurecha,” Madersbacher said, “because I grew up on clay courts, and they play on clay courts. It makes tennis a lot more fun.”
Only two weeks remain before the team travels to the Big West Championships in Ojai, Calif., and these two are excited to turn some heads.
“We are pretty much going to dominate the rest of the season. We have a good chance of moving up in conference,” Lowe said.