This week the Clarion interviewed junior tennis player Henry Craig.
Q: How did you begin playing tennis?
A: I used to do gymnastics when I was younger. I quit because practice got too long for me at the time. One day when I was ten, my dad and I saw a sign on the side of the road that said, “For tennis lessons call this number” so we called. That’s how I met my first coach and I picked it up from there.
Q: How were you recruited by DU and what made you choose DU?
A: DU saw me at Winter Nationals in Arizona and I met the assistant coach and he started watching me. My dad started talking to him and then the coach was emailing me. We built a relationship, then I talked to head coach and the bond kept growing. I just love Colorado and the academics here are great, too so I chose DU.
Q: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
A: I won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals the two years I was able to play. I’m undefeated and the winner gets into the national indoors, which is just like the NCAA, but smaller. I have won singles both years and doubles this past year with Alex Gasson. In singles this season, I was down a set and the guy was serving against me. I was able to make a comeback and won the finals. It was a close one. In doubles, we were never close to losing.
Q: What does the rest of the season look like?
A: We have conference next weekend. We’ve had an unbelievable year and it’s the highest our team has been ranked in a long time. We’re done with the regular season now, but if we win conference again, we will go to NCAAs two weeks after that.
Q: What are your goals for the post-season?
A: The goal is always to win an NCAA or at least get a couple rounds in. My freshman year, we won a round which has never been done before at DU and we want to go further. The goal right now is to become All-Americans in the Sweet 16.
Q: How do you prepare yourself before a competition?
A: Before competition, we’ll blast music in the vans or on the courts. For me individually, I just try to get focused and not mess around too much. Getting ready with the team is the most important part.
