University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Wayne Montgomery
February 26, 2018 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Wayne Montgomery has been one of the rocks for Georgia men's tennis going on four years now. The senior from Somerset West, South Africa, near Cape Town, has been first-team All-SEC in each of his first three seasons and has played his entire career at either No. 1 or No. 2 singles.
The 5-foot-10 Montgomery isn't huge in stature, he's frequently quite a bit smaller than his opponent, but he's got a big game and huge heart. Montgomery is ranked No. 11 in the country in singles for the No. 11-ranked Bulldogs, who host Mercer at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
On Monday, Montgomery stopped by the ITA Hall of Fame to chat about playing college tennis, grilling in the backyard, Federer or Nadal and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What part of playing college tennis has been different from what you expected?
Montgomery: I'd definitely say the magnitude of game days are a little bit more enthusiastic and just bigger than what I thought. From high school tennis, I kind of knew the environment, it's a team and you're responsible for your position, but when I got here, the larger scale just kind of blows it out.
Frierson: Is some of that a byproduct of playing at a place like Georgia?
Montgomery: Oh, for sure. That just escalated it. I love it and I've always loved it, and that's not going to change.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do, or something creative you wish you could do?
Montgomery: I don't really know, honestly. My dad plays the guitar quite well and a lot of people tend to like that. I haven't really gotten into it at all, but I would love to play a musical instrument, for sure.
Frierson: Growing up, what sports were you into besides tennis?
Montgomery: I still did track and field up until my senior year in high school.
Frierson: What did you do?
Montgomery: I did the hurdles, I did long distance — I used to like short distance when I was younger but then got into long distance more. I played rugby just for fun, obviously not too serious. I was scared of getting hurt and all that. I did swimming and hockey and that kind of stuff, too.
Frierson: I enjoy watching rugby, though I'm more of an Australian Rules Football guy. Both of those sports, just the toughness and ferocity and everything that they play with is just incredible.
Montgomery: It's crazy, it's completely different from American football. People always try to relate those two, but you can't unless you've seen both sides. I like American football, too, but when I got back home I definitely try to go to a rugby game.
Frierson: With that in mind, what's the best live performance you've ever seen?
Montgomery: I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert back home was one of the greatest concerts. It was really awesome. And, unfortunately, I've got the say the (College Football Playoff) national championship. That was great, unbelievable up until the last second, but that was definitely an awesome game.
Frierson: When you first got here you probably couldn't have imagined you would feel that passionately about a Georgia football game.
Montgomery: I kind of knew you were going to get into things and learn the ways, and definitely get into the American sports more: basketball, football, that type of stuff. I knew I was going to get into football because I knew Georgia had a big football program.
My first semester here and I absolutely loved it, going to the games, tailgating before the games. I definitely got into it and have been following it ever since.
Frierson: Is there a dish or a meal from home that you miss and can't find around here?
Montgomery: I definitely miss just grilling out and barbecuing back home. We're big on the meat and wine back home, so I definitely miss just grilling out and throwing some chicken or some steaks and chops and all that kind of stuff. I love that, so when I go back we probably do that three or four times a week. You're with friends and family at the lake, so it's super fun.
The food's great back home, but Athens has a great variety of awesome restaurants, too.
Frierson: What's been the most valuable thing you've learned about yourself since you've been at Georgia?
Montgomery: In the tennis setting, I would so not only competing for yourself. You always have to team to carry on your back, so you definitely can't be selfish. You've got to think about other guys and not just yourself, and try to provide them with the best opportunity to get a win for the team.
In the general field, basically just time management. I think every freshman kind of struggles with that a little bit. I know I did. You just learn that over time, I feel like, just getting used to the schedule: morning class, afternoon practice, maybe social afterwards.
Frierson: Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal? Usually every tennis fan prefers one over the other.
Montgomery: I'm very close. I'm still a big Nadal fan, I just like his fire and his energy, but obviously you can't hate Federer — greatest guy, greatest player of all time. I don't really have a preference, but if they play each other, jeez, I'll probably go for Nadal. I'm not too picky between those two.
Frierson: What is it like being a player of your ability, which is obviously very, very high, and watching this era of professional men's tennis where we've had three or four of the greatest players of all time?
Montgomery: It's crazy, yeah. You want Federer to do well because you want to be in the generation that can say, I saw Federer play live, I saw him win all this stuff. It's definitely mind boggling and crazy. I'm not sure a lot of people really realize how crazy good those guys are and what all they put into it. It's definitely a privilege to be surrounded by them and watching them on TV. I definitely don't take that for granted.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Montgomery: I don't know, I'd probably want to play football. They're the biggest program, a big SEC school, have a great track record — unfortunately the body doesn't really suit the physique of a great football player.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Wayne Montgomery has been one of the rocks for Georgia men's tennis going on four years now. The senior from Somerset West, South Africa, near Cape Town, has been first-team All-SEC in each of his first three seasons and has played his entire career at either No. 1 or No. 2 singles.
The 5-foot-10 Montgomery isn't huge in stature, he's frequently quite a bit smaller than his opponent, but he's got a big game and huge heart. Montgomery is ranked No. 11 in the country in singles for the No. 11-ranked Bulldogs, who host Mercer at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
On Monday, Montgomery stopped by the ITA Hall of Fame to chat about playing college tennis, grilling in the backyard, Federer or Nadal and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What part of playing college tennis has been different from what you expected?
Montgomery: I'd definitely say the magnitude of game days are a little bit more enthusiastic and just bigger than what I thought. From high school tennis, I kind of knew the environment, it's a team and you're responsible for your position, but when I got here, the larger scale just kind of blows it out.
Frierson: Is some of that a byproduct of playing at a place like Georgia?
Montgomery: Oh, for sure. That just escalated it. I love it and I've always loved it, and that's not going to change.
Frierson: What's the most creative thing you do, or something creative you wish you could do?
Montgomery: I don't really know, honestly. My dad plays the guitar quite well and a lot of people tend to like that. I haven't really gotten into it at all, but I would love to play a musical instrument, for sure.
Frierson: Growing up, what sports were you into besides tennis?
Montgomery: I still did track and field up until my senior year in high school.
Frierson: What did you do?
Montgomery: I did the hurdles, I did long distance — I used to like short distance when I was younger but then got into long distance more. I played rugby just for fun, obviously not too serious. I was scared of getting hurt and all that. I did swimming and hockey and that kind of stuff, too.
Frierson: I enjoy watching rugby, though I'm more of an Australian Rules Football guy. Both of those sports, just the toughness and ferocity and everything that they play with is just incredible.
Montgomery: It's crazy, it's completely different from American football. People always try to relate those two, but you can't unless you've seen both sides. I like American football, too, but when I got back home I definitely try to go to a rugby game.
Frierson: With that in mind, what's the best live performance you've ever seen?
Montgomery: I think the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert back home was one of the greatest concerts. It was really awesome. And, unfortunately, I've got the say the (College Football Playoff) national championship. That was great, unbelievable up until the last second, but that was definitely an awesome game.
Frierson: When you first got here you probably couldn't have imagined you would feel that passionately about a Georgia football game.
Montgomery: I kind of knew you were going to get into things and learn the ways, and definitely get into the American sports more: basketball, football, that type of stuff. I knew I was going to get into football because I knew Georgia had a big football program.
My first semester here and I absolutely loved it, going to the games, tailgating before the games. I definitely got into it and have been following it ever since.
Frierson: Is there a dish or a meal from home that you miss and can't find around here?
Montgomery: I definitely miss just grilling out and barbecuing back home. We're big on the meat and wine back home, so I definitely miss just grilling out and throwing some chicken or some steaks and chops and all that kind of stuff. I love that, so when I go back we probably do that three or four times a week. You're with friends and family at the lake, so it's super fun.
The food's great back home, but Athens has a great variety of awesome restaurants, too.
Frierson: What's been the most valuable thing you've learned about yourself since you've been at Georgia?
Montgomery: In the tennis setting, I would so not only competing for yourself. You always have to team to carry on your back, so you definitely can't be selfish. You've got to think about other guys and not just yourself, and try to provide them with the best opportunity to get a win for the team.
In the general field, basically just time management. I think every freshman kind of struggles with that a little bit. I know I did. You just learn that over time, I feel like, just getting used to the schedule: morning class, afternoon practice, maybe social afterwards.
Frierson: Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal? Usually every tennis fan prefers one over the other.
Montgomery: I'm very close. I'm still a big Nadal fan, I just like his fire and his energy, but obviously you can't hate Federer — greatest guy, greatest player of all time. I don't really have a preference, but if they play each other, jeez, I'll probably go for Nadal. I'm not too picky between those two.
Frierson: What is it like being a player of your ability, which is obviously very, very high, and watching this era of professional men's tennis where we've had three or four of the greatest players of all time?
Montgomery: It's crazy, yeah. You want Federer to do well because you want to be in the generation that can say, I saw Federer play live, I saw him win all this stuff. It's definitely mind boggling and crazy. I'm not sure a lot of people really realize how crazy good those guys are and what all they put into it. It's definitely a privilege to be surrounded by them and watching them on TV. I definitely don't take that for granted.
Frierson: If you could play any other sport for Georgia, what would it be?
Montgomery: I don't know, I'd probably want to play football. They're the biggest program, a big SEC school, have a great track record — unfortunately the body doesn't really suit the physique of a great football player.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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