An Aussie turned Hoosier

To some people, tennis is just a game for the rich. To others, tennis means just a set or two on the weekends. But for IU men’s tennis team sophomore Lachlan Ferguson, tennis is life.

Growing up in Adelaide, Australia, Ferguson’s home court is about 10,000 miles west of the limestone of Bloomington. He had a racket in hand as early as age four. Ferguson spent much of his teenage years traveling through Europe, playing in junior tournaments abroad.

“It’s provided me with a lot of things and a unique perspective on life,” Ferguson said. “I met a lot of college coaches when I was playing in the World Junior Tour. I wasn’t planning on going to college in the U.S. (IU coach Randy) Bloemendaal came over to meet me in Europe. Probably the main reason I came here was because I had such a good rapport with Coach Bloemendaal.”

Playing abroad helped Ferguson through the junior French Open, the junior Aussie Open and Big Ten Tournaments, all of which have developed him into the No. 116 nationally ranked player.

Ferguson’s parents were both ranked nationally in junior tennis in Australia. He said although his parents both had tennis pedigrees, they weren’t the entire reason behind his craving for the courts.

“I’ve been playing a good three to four hours a day since I was thirteen and I played quite a bit before then,” Ferguson said. “If anything, they had to try and stop me from playing. I just wanted to play all the time. It’s a big commitment, a lot of sacrifices at a younger age.”

Becoming the No. 1 singles and doubles player in Australia and being ranked No. 17 in the world in junior doubles at one time, Ferguson’s commitment to tennis has paid off. He is IU’s captain, the No. 1 singles player and half of the No. 2 doubles team.

“At this point in my life, it’s more unusual to be home than when I’m away from home,” Ferguson said.

Despite Ferguson’s accomplishments, IU assistant coach Scott Linn said he still has a long road ahead of him.

“I don’t think he’s a great player yet,” Linn said. “Compared to us having such a young team, he looks really good, but on a national level of major college programs he’s got a ways to go still. When he becomes an all-conference player and makes nationals as a singles or doubles player, then I think you can start classifying him at a different level.”

Ferguson is making strides in the right direction, defeating the No. 86-ranked singles player Mathieu Thibaudeau on Saturday and then-No. 42 Diego Cubas at the end of January.

“Lachlan works harder than 99 percent of the guys in our program,” Linn said. “He has outworked the majority of the team. His experience in learning how to transition early as a player has really helped him get to this level. When we’re playing as a team, he definitely brings an intensity to the match that gets guys on the courts excited about playing tennis for Indiana University.”

Ferguson brings discipline and work ethic to the team, said sophomore Santiago Gruter.

“For a small guy, he has a really, really big heart,” Gruter said of his 5-foot-8 teammate. “He’s a real competitor on the court, and I think that’s why he has come through for us in the past in some very tough matches. He sets the bar pretty high in a lot of areas in the program for us to follow.”

This bar is set based on different emphasis on certain aspects of tennis Ferguson learned back in Australia. Australians learn the game with more attention on developing a net game and understanding how to use the court,
Ferguson said.

This focus can be found in Ferguson’s matches, as Linn describes Ferguson’s style as “crafty.”

“Someone that’s crafty is good at what they choose to do in their life,” Linn said. “He can hit some shots that you don’t see a lot in college tennis. He can see outside the box sometimes on what can win a point.”

With an intense passion for tennis, this “mate” has made the game of tennis his entire life.

“I do really love the game,” Ferguson said. “I’ve put so much time and effort into it. I want to see how far I can go and see how good I can get. When the day comes to put up my rackets, I’ll do that.”