Photo by: Chamberlain Smith
Quick Chat: Jamie Hunt
April 01, 2020 | Men's Tennis, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
The start of Jamie Hunt's Georgia tennis career really couldn't have gone any better. During his freshman season, the Bulldogs went undefeated en route to the 2007 NCAA team championship. The following season, despite the loss of some key seniors from the year before, particularly John Isner, the Bulldogs won another NCAA title.
Hunt had a great Bulldog career and in 2017 the San Antonio native returned to Athens as the program's associate head coach. He won two NCAA titles at Georgia, but they weren't the first in his family. Hunt's grandfather, Walter Driver, played tennis at Texas and won the 1943 NCAA doubles title with partner John Hickman.
During a Quick Chat via phone on Tuesday, Hunt talked about staying positive, the Bulldog season that came to an end last month, his start in tennis and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: You are generally regarded, and it's earned, as one of the nicest and most enthusiastic people anyone's ever met. So how has that been tested these past few weeks, with the season abruptly ending and everyone on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic?
Hunt: [Laughs] I don't know about that. We're just trying to navigate the new normal. We pulled our kids out of day care and are just spending a lot of time with them. They've been great, and in regard to the team, we're just trying to stay as positive as possible and just shape their perspective on the whole situation.
It's really a teaching moment for these guys, to teach them that there are bigger things than the sport of tennis and what matters is how we treat people and how we love on them and support them in tough times.
Frierson: Given the way the season was going, six straight wins, including a couple of big wins over top-10 teams, it has to ache a lot to have it stopped right when this team was coming into its own.
Hunt: We are very disappointed and our team is disappointed because we felt we were really building something special this season. I think this team had a great shot at winning the SEC and really doing a lot of damage in the (NCAA) tournament. It is disappointing but we're going to use this as a stepping stone and come back next year even stronger and with unfinished business in mind.
Frierson: How did you get started in tennis and what other sports did you play growing up?
Hunt: I played a bunch of different sports — never played football, I was never the biggest guy so I stayed away from football — but I played baseball, basketball, soccer.
My grandfather was probably a better tennis player than I was; he won the NCAA doubles championship while playing at the University of Texas. He got my mother and my aunt and uncles involved in the sport and they passed it down to us; I've got an older brother and sister who played at a really high level in the state. I just followed them around to their tournaments and fell in love with it.
I kept playing and got pretty good at it, and it's always fun playing something you're pretty good at.
Frierson: When you got to Georgia and you win an NCAA title your first two years as a player, what is that like and how do you play out the rest of your career when seemingly anything less is going to feel like a disappointment?
Hunt: It was incredible to win it all back to back years and to be a part of that '07 team that people consider one of the greatest teams of all time, that was really special. And to win it in Athens and go undefeated, it was really a dream for all of us.
The following year was really unique in its own way because nobody really expected us to win it after losing John and Omie (Matic Omerzel), and we had so many injuries that year. Nobody expected us to win it so we really had a chip on our shoulder, so that was a lot of fun, proving the doubters wrong that year. I say nobody expected us to win it, we were still seeded four or five (the Bulldogs were the No. 4 seed) and we had a chance to win it.
After that, I remember losing in the quarters to Texas in 2009 and sitting in the interview after the match. I was asked what it felt like, losing my first (NCAA) match, and I was like, it's really painful, I hate it. That really kind of drove us that summer and the next fall, to really have a great finish to our careers — this was me, Christian (Vitulli), Nate (Schnugg) and Alex Hill. We made a great run in 2010 and made it to the semifinals.
Frierson: So it's been 10 years since you played your last Georgia match, does it feel like it's been that long?
Hunt: It feels like it's been 10 years. I've been coaching for 10 years now and I've gained a ton of experience on the coaching side. But at the same time, I'm close enough (in age) whereI can relate to these guys and share our experiences and our struggles and really help them out in that regard.
Frierson: What is the best meal of your life? Is there one that stands out above the rest?
Hunt: I think any time we have steak, twice-baked potatoes and Ceasar salad, and I've got my entire family around me, then it's one of the best meals of my life. It's great food, it's great people and we're laughing and having fun. I think what makes a great meal is all about the people that you've got around you. It can be the best food in the world but if it's just yourself, that's not any fun.
Frierson: Where is the most interesting or special place that tennis has taken you?
Hunt: I did a lot of international travel, I don't know how many countries I've been to, but I played all the (Grand Slam junior events) twice, so Australia, Roland Garros, London. The most beautiful place was Hawaii, but I think the most interesting place was Australia one of the years, just because of the people we met.
We met a group of kids around our age and they came and supported us at every match and they took us home and had a barbecue with all of their friends. It was just one of those situations where you're however many miles away from home but these people are just so friendly, so down to earth, so welcoming, that it was just one of those moments where you're like, gosh, there are still just a lot of great people in this world that love on people and want to have fun and share great moments with each other.
That was one of the best moments and experiences of my junior playing career, for sure.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
The start of Jamie Hunt's Georgia tennis career really couldn't have gone any better. During his freshman season, the Bulldogs went undefeated en route to the 2007 NCAA team championship. The following season, despite the loss of some key seniors from the year before, particularly John Isner, the Bulldogs won another NCAA title.
Hunt had a great Bulldog career and in 2017 the San Antonio native returned to Athens as the program's associate head coach. He won two NCAA titles at Georgia, but they weren't the first in his family. Hunt's grandfather, Walter Driver, played tennis at Texas and won the 1943 NCAA doubles title with partner John Hickman.
During a Quick Chat via phone on Tuesday, Hunt talked about staying positive, the Bulldog season that came to an end last month, his start in tennis and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: You are generally regarded, and it's earned, as one of the nicest and most enthusiastic people anyone's ever met. So how has that been tested these past few weeks, with the season abruptly ending and everyone on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic?
Hunt: [Laughs] I don't know about that. We're just trying to navigate the new normal. We pulled our kids out of day care and are just spending a lot of time with them. They've been great, and in regard to the team, we're just trying to stay as positive as possible and just shape their perspective on the whole situation.
It's really a teaching moment for these guys, to teach them that there are bigger things than the sport of tennis and what matters is how we treat people and how we love on them and support them in tough times.
Frierson: Given the way the season was going, six straight wins, including a couple of big wins over top-10 teams, it has to ache a lot to have it stopped right when this team was coming into its own.
Hunt: We are very disappointed and our team is disappointed because we felt we were really building something special this season. I think this team had a great shot at winning the SEC and really doing a lot of damage in the (NCAA) tournament. It is disappointing but we're going to use this as a stepping stone and come back next year even stronger and with unfinished business in mind.
Frierson: How did you get started in tennis and what other sports did you play growing up?
Hunt: I played a bunch of different sports — never played football, I was never the biggest guy so I stayed away from football — but I played baseball, basketball, soccer.
My grandfather was probably a better tennis player than I was; he won the NCAA doubles championship while playing at the University of Texas. He got my mother and my aunt and uncles involved in the sport and they passed it down to us; I've got an older brother and sister who played at a really high level in the state. I just followed them around to their tournaments and fell in love with it.
I kept playing and got pretty good at it, and it's always fun playing something you're pretty good at.
Frierson: When you got to Georgia and you win an NCAA title your first two years as a player, what is that like and how do you play out the rest of your career when seemingly anything less is going to feel like a disappointment?
Hunt: It was incredible to win it all back to back years and to be a part of that '07 team that people consider one of the greatest teams of all time, that was really special. And to win it in Athens and go undefeated, it was really a dream for all of us.
The following year was really unique in its own way because nobody really expected us to win it after losing John and Omie (Matic Omerzel), and we had so many injuries that year. Nobody expected us to win it so we really had a chip on our shoulder, so that was a lot of fun, proving the doubters wrong that year. I say nobody expected us to win it, we were still seeded four or five (the Bulldogs were the No. 4 seed) and we had a chance to win it.
After that, I remember losing in the quarters to Texas in 2009 and sitting in the interview after the match. I was asked what it felt like, losing my first (NCAA) match, and I was like, it's really painful, I hate it. That really kind of drove us that summer and the next fall, to really have a great finish to our careers — this was me, Christian (Vitulli), Nate (Schnugg) and Alex Hill. We made a great run in 2010 and made it to the semifinals.
Frierson: So it's been 10 years since you played your last Georgia match, does it feel like it's been that long?
Hunt: It feels like it's been 10 years. I've been coaching for 10 years now and I've gained a ton of experience on the coaching side. But at the same time, I'm close enough (in age) whereI can relate to these guys and share our experiences and our struggles and really help them out in that regard.
Frierson: What is the best meal of your life? Is there one that stands out above the rest?
Hunt: I think any time we have steak, twice-baked potatoes and Ceasar salad, and I've got my entire family around me, then it's one of the best meals of my life. It's great food, it's great people and we're laughing and having fun. I think what makes a great meal is all about the people that you've got around you. It can be the best food in the world but if it's just yourself, that's not any fun.
Frierson: Where is the most interesting or special place that tennis has taken you?
Hunt: I did a lot of international travel, I don't know how many countries I've been to, but I played all the (Grand Slam junior events) twice, so Australia, Roland Garros, London. The most beautiful place was Hawaii, but I think the most interesting place was Australia one of the years, just because of the people we met.
We met a group of kids around our age and they came and supported us at every match and they took us home and had a barbecue with all of their friends. It was just one of those situations where you're however many miles away from home but these people are just so friendly, so down to earth, so welcoming, that it was just one of those moments where you're like, gosh, there are still just a lot of great people in this world that love on people and want to have fun and share great moments with each other.
That was one of the best moments and experiences of my junior playing career, for sure.
(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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