Talented tennis players will be in abundance this weekend at the Combe Tennis Center. Saturday at 3 p.m., the No. 46 Northwestern men’s tennis team will host No. 49 Purdue to kick off the Big Ten season. Then Sunday at 3 p.m., the Wildcats (3-0) will try out the role of underdog against No. 10 Notre Dame.
The weekend will feature NU’s Josh Axler, who is trying to protect a 12-match winning streak, as well as three nationally ranked singles players from Notre Dame.
What could possibly add to a talent pool of this magnitude?
NU alumnus and ATP touring pro Todd Martin is revisiting his old stomping grounds this week.
Martin, who played under current NU coach Paul Torricelli, practiced with the Cats on Thursday to help the team prepare for its weekend matches.
“(Martin’s visit) is a treat,” said Torricelli. “It’s something that a lot of teams don’t have the opportunity to do. It’s not just Todd’s playing ability, but his reputation. I think it’s an inspiration to the team.”
Martin will help dedicate NU’s new tennis facility, named for alumnus Ivan Combe. Combe was a tennis letter winner and avid supporter of the Cats. He passed away in January, 2000.
“(The Combe Tennis Center) is going to be a great vehicle for Paul and (women’s coach Claire Pollard) to attract very talented tennis players to this university,” Martin said.
The formal dedication ceremony will take place tonight at 6 p.m. Following the private event, the doors of the Combe Tennis Center will open to the public at 7 p.m. so that fans can grab seats for the night’s feature attraction. Martin, the world’s No. 36 singles player, will take on his Davis Cup teammate, No. 39 James Blake, in an exhibition match at 7:15 p.m.
“I wasn’t going to miss this,” Martin said. “I wasn’t going to let someone else do a grand opening.”
The two pros bring two different games to the court.
“James is as athletic as anybody out on the tour,” Martin said. “He’s one of the fastest tennis players I’ve ever played, and he’s got great ground strokes.
“I’m more of an aggressive, keep the points short and try not to have to run too much type of player.”
The two highly-ranked Americans have never met in ATP action, meaning the head-to-head matchup should be a new experience for even the most avid fan.
The match may be an exhibition, but Martin said that he and Blake will be taking the game seriously. The players must remain in top form, he said, because the U.S. Davis Cup team takes on the Slovak Republic Feb. 8.
This year’s team is composed of four of the top five players in the country, with Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick joining Blake and Martin. With this team’s strength, hopes are high that the Americans can hoist their first cup since 1995.
“My expectations are victory,” Martin said. “Ideally I’ll be out on the court having a chance to help our team succeed, quite possibly with James, which is exciting for me because he’s one of my best friends out on the tour.”
The team concept isn’t often found in the world of professional tennis, as players rarely get to be a part of a united front. Martin likened the rare experience to college tennis.
“(The Davis Cup) is a similar sensation for me emotionally,” Martin said. “It reminds me a lot about college tennis because there is nowhere on tour where you see the guys emote like we do in the Davis Cup.
“And strange things that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to happen (do happen.) You look over on the sidelines and Pete Sampras is cheering for you, and you realize that that’s because you’re wearing your nation’s colors, like you wore your college colors, and you realize there is a much greater cause for (the effort.)”
Martin emphasized that his college experience helped him to find his current success by preparing him for the ups and downs of the pro tour.
“Northwestern cultivated my interest,” he said. “It taught me that it’s OK not to do well, as long as you make sure to learn from those mistakes.”
