Men's tennis HC Steve Denton highlights Austin Krajicek's pro success

Fightin' Texas Aggie Austin Krajicek and his partner Rajeev Ram have an opportunity to claim a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Texas A&M men's tennis head coach Steve Denton joined TexAgs Radio to discuss Krajicek as well as the upcoming season.

Key notes from Steve Denton interview

• I have loved football my whole life, and I know in the SEC, if you do well on the offensive and defensive lines, I think you win games. What we didn't talk about is, because of the physicality of the sport, you have to have some really good backups. A lot of teams in the past have been their first 22 guys, but I think coach Mike Elko is doing a great job of getting the type of players we need to compete with the best in the country.
   
• I am a sports junkie. I was fortunate enough to play professionally. I played basketball in high school, but I realized that there was no way I could keep up with someone like Phil Ford at North Carolina, so I picked tennis when I went to college.
   
• I love coach Elko. The thing I love the most about him is his humility. He’s got a lot on his mind, but he has a great sense of making you feel important. I think that resonates with our kids and their parents, and I think he is going to be very successful here.
   
• Austin Krajicek is an amazing kid. He won our national championship, went to the US Open, came back to school, and ultimately became the face of our program. He went to the NCAA doubles, and last year, he won the French Open. He and his partner Rajeev Ram beat Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. 
   
• What was more important was yesterday. Mike and Bob Bryan are the most famous team historically. They're both there at the Olympics. Bob and I were talking during the match, and I said, “The key to a great player is after having a signature win. Can you back it up the next day? Can you play well again and be hungry?”
   
• I’m not surprised by all of Austin’s success. He is a tremendous hard worker with a lot of humility. On match point against Alcaraz, he hit an ace out wide, and it was so cool to see how he has just continued to be better and better.
   
• In the morning, when I would come to work early, I would hear him practicing his serve on his own. The work ethic he has is the main reason why he has found success today.
   
• You have to be able to do it when nobody’s watching. The stories of players from the past, like Larry Bird, who shot thousands of shots when nobody was watching to get to the level that they wanted to be. They have the work ethic and determination to dust themselves off when they get knocked to the ground and keep on working.
   
• The impact that he has is tremendous. Currently, we have 11 guys playing on the professional tour. We are the winningest program in the SEC. I have three guys from this year's team that are going out as well. Seeing his success is definitely going to encourage these kids. All of our Aggies are rooting for him to win the gold tomorrow.
   
• Raphael Perot is going professional. JC Roddick, from Central Florida, has a really good game, and Matthis Ross, who is coming back for his senior year will go try to play. He has faced a lot of adversity, but his love for the sport has kept his fire lit.
   
• Our last, Giulio Perego, who is probably the most talented, has already found a lot of success. He played a lot of tournaments this summer and is starting to get in that 900 range in the world. I’m excited for him as well.
   
• On the last ball of the last practice, Raphael ran forward and heard something pop in his groin area. He was playing the No. 1 guy in the country, and I wasn’t going to put him out there.
   
• I went to Wimbledon and the French Open this summer. Now, we have our camps and practices. It’s a never-ending battle, and then there are recruits. They are coming pretty soon, so it’s starting all over again.
   
• The periodization aspect of trying to play your best tennis at the end. We made a reasonable run. Round of 16 is good, but it has not been our standard for the last 12 years. We lost some players to injury, but it is the next man up.
   
• That’s why these kids come to Texas A&M. They want to play in the big-time matches and play pro tennis. They see the roadmap of all of our guys who are having success on the tour. 
   
• We lost Raphael. I think the future depends on what our recruiting looks like. We signed Theo Papamalamis, who got to the semifinals of Wimbledon in the juniors. We have another guy or two who are really good players as well. I am pleased with the work ethic of the guys that we have, and we have about five starters returning as well.
   
• Well, I typically give them three things that will keep them off of the tour. Addressing the holes in the game is something that every good coach in the world knows when it comes to players. The more you can cover up, in college, out of the pressure, the more equipped you are to succeed on the circuit.
   
• I think Austin and Rajeev have done a great job at holding serve. The second thing will be to return serves well. One thing that Austin struggled with early in the season was returning serves. They made some adjustments, so if they continue to do that, I think they have a great chance. It comes down to whoever wins the big points the best.