UCLA Sports Information Freshman Tobias
Clemens, born and raised in Germany, will be helping the
Bruins make a run for the NCAA title in Georgia this weekend.
By Rekha Rao
Daily Bruin Contributor
Challenge.
Sometimes it drives us, and sometimes it causes us to do things
we normally would never do. And sometimes it leads us to make tough
decisions.
This is what it did for freshman Tobias Clemens.
Clemens decided to come to UCLA for the challenge. The challenge
of attending college, playing tennis, and discovering a new life on
an entirely different continent brought him to Westwood last
September.
He was born and brought up in Bohn, Germany, where his parents
taught him how to play tennis at an early age.
He started to play on the clay courts in his hometown, and it
quickly became more than a leisure activity. As a youth, he went
through the German club system and developed into a top player.
Clemens played tournaments on the professional tour in 2000 for
a few months before deciding to attend college. In the interests of
his future, he thought he should get a college degree before
thinking about playing professionally again.
“The pro tour was fun. I got to travel around the world,
and even came to the United States. The level of tennis was so
high,” he said.
He had heard about UCLA’s reputation for high academic and
athletic standards. He made his decision, and found himself
challenged in Los Angeles at the beginning of the next academic
year.
“America is very different than Europe, especially Los
Angeles,” he said. “Here everything is on a big scale,
everything is in bulk.”
But the UCLA team and its head coach, Billy Martin, have made
Clemens feel at home. The team is now his life, and Clemens is
happy with that.
“In the short time I have gotten to know Toby, it’s
been really enjoyable for me,” Martin said. “He is a
fine young man, academically and athletically.”
Clemens plays both singles and doubles. In Germany, he enjoyed
singles, but here, doubles present more of a challenge for him. He
likes sharing the pressure of the game by playing with sophomore
Lassi Ketola, a friend from Europe.
“It is nice to play with him because he has already played
on tour and has a lot of experience,” Ketola said. “We
have really good team spirit, and even have a special dink (high
five with the racket). He is a cool guy, and is taking care of the
entire team.”
Clemens has had other challenges besides adjusting to new
surroundings. He was injured in February for the first time in his
life, and had to take six weeks off to recover. Clemens even had to
sit out on both Stanford matches, which the Bruins lost 4-3 each
time. Since then, he has had to work to regain the speed and
agility he lost during his time off.
“I need him to be tough on himself, and more of a friend
to himself,” Martin said. “He has overcome the ankle
injury. He was mad at me for not putting him in the lineup earlier.
But I wanted to make sure he was completely healed before I put him
in. I am sure that sitting out on both Stanford matches killed him,
but we needed him for our later matches.”
Clemens’ recovery has allowed him to face his greatest
challenge yet. He is currently in Georgia competing in his first
NCAA Tournament.
“It is what we have worked the whole season for,”
Clemens said.