By Pritish BehuriaThe Daily Northwestern
A Peruvian Davis Cup player, a former Hamburg amateur champion and a four-time Michigan state singles champion arrived at Northwestern as part of the freshman class in the fall of 2003.
Four years later with their NU careers reaching an end, seniors Matt Christian, Willy Lock and Christian Tempke are looking forward to the next step.
“They’ve all worked really hard and this is a good school, so you’re gonna be leaving with a good degree,” coach Paul Torricelli said.
Tempke received a job offer from Lazard Ltd. in Manhattan, Christian plans to work at Johns Hopkins University for a year and then apply to medical school, while Lock remains undecided but said he will try to find a job in Peru.
As for tennis, Torricelli said Lock has the potential to continue his career, especially on clay courts and in the Davis Cup.
“Willy can definitely make it on clay,” Torricelli said. “But making it as a professional tennis player is really hard. Chances are better making it to the NBA.”
When they arrived at NU (7-12, 2-5 Big Ten), the three Wildcats came from much different backgrounds: Christian lived just a six-hour drive away from Evanston in Troy, Mich., but Lock and Tempke had long plane rides from Peru and Germany, respectively.
“I didn’t know anyone and I had never talked to anyone from Germany or Peru before,” Christian said. “But we’ve become really close friends and it’s helped us play together as a team. It’s easier when you know you’re playing for your friends.”
In their freshman year, all three made it to the starting lineup. Tempke played at No. 2 singles, while Lock and Christian played at No. 4 and No. 5 for the majority of the season.
Tempke and Lock came in with big reputations and despite having to adapt to the American collegiate tennis format and a foreign country, they almost immediately lived up to expectations.
Tempke played at No. 1 or No. 2 singles for the majority of his career, while Lock played at No. 4 singles until his junior year, when he made the step up to the top two spots.
“These guys have been right in the middle of things,” Torricelli said. “The location may be different, the team aspect may be there, but in the end, tennis is tennis and they adapted really well.”
When Torricelli recruited Christian, he thought of him as primarily a doubles player.
Christian proved his coach right in his sophomore year, when he partnered with current volunteer assistant coach Adam Schaechterle and reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Midwest Regional championships.
“I knew Matt would contribute in doubles,” Torricelli said. “He had a very aggressive style and it lent itself very well to doubles play.”
While Christian’s game suited doubles play, Tempke and Lock had to adapt to it.
Torricelli said when Tempke and Lock arrived, they were predominantly baseliners but doubles play helped them develop their game, become better servers and start volleying more.
Lock only became a regular doubles player for the Cats in his sophomore year, the same year he went on an eight-match unbeaten streak in singles action.
He was also effective in doubles play that year, with a 6-5 record at No. 3 with Justin Hoeveler.
“Doubles has improved my game a lot,” Lock said. “It’s improved my volleys and returns and definitely made me a more all-around player.”
With three matches left and the Big Ten championships to come, the season is not yet over for this year’s senior class, who will be looking forward to a last push for NCAA tournament bids.
“Every week is huge for them,” Torricelli said. “Seniors are no more or less important but you hope they finish strong and play like seniors down the end.”
Reach Pritish Behuria at [email protected].
