What Do College Tennis Coaches Look For in Recruits?

This week we had the chance to talk with Jeremy Wurtzman,

Head Coach of the University of Indiana Men’s Tennis Team, about his tennis career and tips he has for aspiring college tennis players.

Jeremy has been both a pro player and coach! He went to college at Ohio State University and went on to play at the professional level, ranking in the top 200 in doubles and top 350 in singles.
After finishing his pro career, Jeremy moved to Denver, where he coached at the University of Denver. He later moved to Ohio State to become the assistant coach, and then coached at the University of Michigan, before becoming the head men’s coach at the University of Indiana.
Coach Wurtzman became a coach immediately after his pro career. He said the best training he received was being a player because he is able to relate to the athletes on his team and understand what they are going through. Coaching is all about learning everyday, and everyday brings new lessons!
While recruiting players, Jeremy emphasized the importance of recruits having good sportsmanship and character. Even if a player is amazing, Jeremy will lose interest if they are rude or show bad sportsmanship on the court. It is important that a person is able to be a team player in college, while balancing tennis and their studies.
Jeremy loves coaching at the college level because he gets to mentor young athletes during a prime time in their lives and watch them grow as both players and people. The biggest challenge of his job is balancing a busy schedule of recruiting and coaching.
For Jeremy, the best players he has worked with are competitive, have character, and work hard.
Our conversation ended with Jeremy sharing his largest piece of advice for aspiring collegiate athletes: “Put in the best effort you can everyday. Consistency is huge. Constantly try to improve and live by the process without getting too hung up in the results.”