University of Georgia Athletics
Wayne Montgomery Quickly Rising To The Top
March 05, 2015 | Men's Tennis
By SK Bowen
When Wayne Montgomery arrived in Athens last summer, Georgia tennis coach Manuel Diaz had high hopes for the South African junior star, but neither Diaz nor anyone else knew for certain how much of an impact Montgomery would immediately have.
"We feel confident that he can beat anyone in the nation," says Diaz. "While we thought he was good, I'm not sure we knew he was this good. This good this quickly."
Montgomery is a freshman from Somerset West, South Africa. His parents introduced him to the sport when he was young. He was a multi-sport athlete and didn't take tennis seriously until high school.
In 2013, he ranked No. 7 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) U-18 world ranking. Montgomery has also reached the quarterfinals in junior singles at the U.S. Open and Australian Open. And before coming to play at UGA, he defeated Vanderbilt's Gonzalez Austin, who was ranked No. 9 in the ITA rankings at the time, to win the 2014 Tennessee Valley Open Championships.
Montgomery says he chose to play for UGA not only because of the great tennis program, but also because Athens reminds him of home in South Africa.
"He's been tremendous," says Diaz. "Just coming in and incorporating into our squad and getting along with the kids and being a hard worker and in many regards providing a great example for guys on the team in a sense that he has really shown really great work ethic."
Montgomery is making a name for himself. In the first 2015 singles ITA rankings, Montgomery was ranked No. 32 and now he has climbed to No. 17. On Feb. 1, he moved from No. 3 singles to play No. 1 singles for Georgia for the first time.
Montgomery holds a 24-5 singles record for the Bulldogs and a 4-2 record at No. 1 singles. Also, on three occasions this season, he has been named SEC Tennis Freshman of the Week.
"We rely on him tremendously now playing towards the top of the lineup," says Diaz. "He has now played the last couple of weeks at the No. 1 position, which is a lot to handle for a freshman, but he's handled himself very well."
Montgomery goals are to earn a degree in Risk Management and to one day be ranked top 50 in the world. Diaz believes that if he continues down the path he is on now, he can achieve his goal in professional tennis.
"He's shown a hunger to be better and if he continues along the path he is on right now, he'll succeed," says Diaz.
Montgomery said the team is very focused on beating Texas A&M and LSU. The No. 4-ranked Bulldogs face the No. 10-ranked Aggies at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Friday at 2:30 p.m. and then host No. 28 LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Montgomery will most likely play near the top of the lineup.
"The biggest challenge is to try to conquer A&M this weekend," says Montgomery. "We still have a long way to go, but if we do that we have a good chance of winning the SEC again."
SK Bowen in sophomore from Tifton, Ga., who is majoring in digital and broadcast journalism and marketing. Bowen, who also is pursuing a Grady Sports Media certificate, is in her first year as a student assistant with the UGA Sports Communications office.
"Coming Attractions" is a weekly feature published on georgiadogs.com spotlighting a UGA student-athlete who will be competing in a key home event during the upcoming weekend. Previous stories include:
August 28 - David Andrews (football vs. Clemson)
September 4 - Carly Hamilton (cross country in Bulldog Invitational)
September 11 - Tirah Leau (volleyball in Benson Hospitality Invitational)
September 18 - Mariel Gutierrez (soccer vs. Vanderbilt)
September 25 - Toby Johnson (football vs. Tennessee)
October 2 - Emma Sonnett (soccer vs. Tennessee)
October 9 - Jared Markham (swimming & diving vs. Alabama)
October 16 - Gaby Smiley (volleyball vs. Kentucky and Tennessee)
October 23 - Bella Hartley (soccer vs. Kentucky)
October 30 - Olivia Ball & Ian Forlini (swimming & diving vs. Florida)
November 6 - Megan Spencer (volleyball vs. Arkansas)
November 13 - Kolton Houston (football vs. Auburn)
November 20 - Yante Maten (men's basketball vs. Troy & FAU)
November 27 - Damian Swann (football vs. Georgia Tech)
December 4 - Marjorie Butler (women's basketball vs. Michigan State)
December 18 - Tiaria Griffin (women's basketball vs. Furman)
December 25 - International Bulldogs (men's basketball vs. Mercer)
January 7 - Maddie Locus (women's swimming & diving vs. Texas)
January 14 - Shacobia Barbee (women's basketball vs. Vanderbilt)
January 21 - Caroline Brinson (women's tennis in ITA Kickoff Weekend)
January 28 - Nathan Pasha (men's tennis vs. UCLA and Southern Cal)
February 4 - Sara Parr (equestrian vs. South Carolina)
February 11 - Cortni Emanuel (softball in Bulldog Invitational)
February 18 - Chelsea Davis (gymnastics vs. Alabama)
February 25 - Hannah King (women's tennis vs. LSU & Texas A&M)
Players Mentioned
