BAYLOR MADE ME THE MAN I AM

The Experience On and Off the Court Has Been Unbelievable

Champions' TriBUne 5/6/2021 3:25:00 PM

Champions' TriBUne Archive

By: Constantin Frantzen

Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Constantin Frantzen, a fifth-year senior from Augsburg, Germany, broke Benjamin Becker's school record for career doubles victories and now sits at 107. Coni earned his undergrad degree in marketing in Summer 2020 and is working on his master's in sport management. Frantzen and the top-ranked Bears (29-4) will host the 1^st and 2^nd round of the NCAA Championship and will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (19-4) at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hurd Tennis Center:

As these are my final days and the prospect of the real world inches closer, this article is probably one of the last things where I can truly make an impact as a current student-athlete. It kind of scares me to think about that, because I'll be finished competing with my brothers in this place that has been my home for the last five years. Knowing that I'm never going to play a college match after this semester makes me really want to cry. On the other hand, I'm beyond thankful for all the memories, experiences and all the people that Baylor has given me. I'm a really emotional guy, and I've really struggled writing this article, because there are so many incredible experiences, people and opportunities this university provided me and shaped me to be the man I am today.

Family means the world to me

My family means the world to me. I don't think I can describe in words what my family has done for me and how much they sacrificed for me. First of all, they have given me every opportunity in life to become the best possible person that I can be. My parents helped me to build the foundation of who I have become in life. They have supported me unconditionally through every step in my life, regardless of what the topic was. They have continuously sacrificed their own free time over the last 18 years of my life, so I can develop as a person and tennis player. They have spent countless hours in the car driving me to early and late practices and different tournaments around Europe. It's impossible to describe in words how grateful and thankful I am for them.

My older brother, Maximilian, had to sacrifice so much for my younger brother, Christopher, and myself because he focused more on school, which meant he often had to take the short straw. Max is someone who I have shared all of my experiences on and off the court with throughout my whole life, both the good and the bad. He is not only my brother, but he's also the person I look up to the most. Also, he's the biggest supporter of Christopher and me. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for my younger brother, Christopher. It's really hard to put it into words what it means that my younger brother is on the same team as me. It's just so special, and no one can take that away from us. I can't wait, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Baylor has left in store for him, because I know he's way better off than I was. Max and Christopher are the reasons why I'm so competitive today. We were always so competitive in everything we were doing, and I never wanted to lose to either of them, which sometimes ended badly because I got really upset. I'm beyond thankful to have my two brothers in my life, because I would not be the person I am today without them.

Constantin Frantzen

My journey from Germany to Baylor University

I grew up in a sports family. My mum was a swimmer and played a little bit of tennis when she was a teenager, while my dad was an excellent field hockey player who won the German Championship as a teenager. I started playing tennis when I was around 5 years old and competing at the age of 6. My older brother, Maximilian, was playing, and I always looked up to him, which meant I needed to do the same activities as him. Both of my brothers enhanced my love for any kind of sport and helped me to be the competitive person that I am today. Additionally, I played handball until the age of 12, and I was balancing my time between handball, tennis and school. In my early tennis stages, I didn't really enjoy playing tennis. I always wanted to play soccer like everyone else in my age group in Germany, but my parents wanted me to stick with tennis, which meant I kept doing it. And I don't regret a single day of it. It came to that point in my life where I had to make a decision which sport I wanted to seriously pursue. While I did love handball, tennis was the sport where I had experienced the most joy and success.

From a young age, my biggest dream was to be a professional tennis player. One reason for this is that my best friend, Luca Wiedenmann, who's currently playing tennis for the University of Tennessee, had the same passion for tennis as I did. We both grew up practicing, traveling, and doing things off the court since we were both 6 years old. At the age of 13, we both decided that our tennis journey would continue in Munich, where we both attended a tennis academy for five years. We went to the same high school, lived in the same apartment, and practiced every day with each other from the years 13 to 18. While we were both finishing up our high school degree, we started looking into different colleges in America where we could play college tennis. I remember the day when I first heard of college tennis, which was when I was 16 years old.

Constantin Frantzen

My brother, Maximilian, who's two years older than me, was looking into college tennis at that time. He was watching a video of the NCAA semifinal, which took place at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center. He explained to me all of the rules and showed me lots of pictures and videos about college tennis, and I thought this is unbelievable because there is nothing better than winning something as a team. I told him that's the place where I want to go when I'm done with my high school degree, and he told me I have to be really good if I want to be a Baylor Bear. The reasoning for this is that none of us were ready to play professionally, which is why Luca and I both took recruiting trips to different schools. I took my first recruiting visit, which was also my first time being in the United States, to Waco, Texas. I remember the day that I first stepped on campus like it was yesterday. I immediately fell in love with the beautiful campus, facilities and the people. After my 48-hour recruiting trip, I already knew this was the place where I wanted to go and spend the next four years of my life.

After finishing my undergrad degree in marketing in Summer 2020, I am currently working on my MSEd in Sport Management

First of all, I want to thank my academic advisors, Kristen Bates, Dee Campell, Christina Johnson and Quentin Hendershot, for all the help and support throughout the years. The support staff of Baylor Athletics has provided a path for me to excel academically every step of the way. With this academic success, I'll have lots of opportunities to get recruited from different organizations across the country and abroad. Most importantly, I wasn't always the best academically, but the Baylor Athletics support staff helped me believe that I could conquer my academics. I particularly struggled a lot throughout my first year because I was faced with a lot of different obstacles as every international student-athlete across the nation must work through. As exciting as it was to be in a different country and far away from home, I was in a new country, with a new culture, while I was learning a language that isn't fully my own, all while trying to balance the life of both student-athlete and a Marketing major. If I'm really honest with myself, my English was not great at the beginning, but thanks to my tutor at the time, Anastasia Walton, I picked up the language really quickly.

Constantin Frantzen

Coming back and breaking the school record

Entering the 2020 season, expectations were really high for the Baylor men's tennis team and myself. I probably played my best tennis in my final year of college tennis where I achieved singles and doubles career highs. The entire team was really looking forward to this season because we were probably one of the favorites to win it all, which unfortunately got cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, my season would've been over with or without the pandemic, because I was struggling with terrible shoulder pain. I went back home to Germany not knowing what my next steps would be and doing multiple MRIs on my shoulder. I saw several different doctors, and basically everyone told me that I would be done playing tennis forever. Hearing for the first time that my body is not holding up really scared me and made me think differently. It was a really hard experience for me not knowing if I would ever pick up a racket again. On top of that, there was also the uncertainty that my college career might be over for good.

After finding out that the NCAA granted every spring sport's student-athlete an extra year of eligibility, I was ready to do whatever it took to get my shoulder back in order, so I could compete again and finish what we had started at Baylor. Every time I picked up a racket, the pain in my shoulder came back, and it even bothered me in my daily life off the tennis court. I had multiple setbacks during my time in Germany, which is why my coaches and myself decided it would be best for me to take the Fall semester off, in order to get ready for the dual match season in 2021. During my time in Germany, I got to experience what it meant to be a non-athlete where I was really fortunate to have my parents, brothers and girlfriend by my side, supporting me along the way.

I came to the conclusion that I needed to change my racket and my strings in order to conserve my shoulder. I started hitting some balls again in late October. In December, I practiced two to three times a week, which really depended on how my shoulder felt. I remember the day when I got back on campus, not knowing if my shoulder was going to last two to three months or maybe less. I wanted to prove to myself that I could play at the level again where I left in the spring of 2020. I felt really uncomfortable and stiff on the court, which is why I was really lucky that my coaches and my teammates believed in me because, without them, I wouldn't be competing next to them and wouldn't have had the chance to break the school record in doubles. While some say it's "only doubles," I'm extremely proud of this accomplishment, especially after not knowing if I would ever pick up a racket again. So far, it's been an incredible year for the team and myself, and I'm so grateful that I managed to recover from my shoulder injury and do what I love the most.

Constantin Frantzen

The ups and downs

I wouldn't be where I am today if my first head coach, Matt Knoll, had not visited me in Germany. He was the person who recruited me to Baylor and helped me achieve my dream to become a Baylor Bear. I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the best tennis program in the country.

Additionally, I also wouldn't be where I am today if Brian Boland would not have given me the opportunity to come back to Baylor after my sophomore year. He had just been hired by Baylor, and he could have easily said that he was just going to recruit someone else to take my spot. That's the reason I want to thank Coach Boland, for giving me the opportunity to come back to Baylor and for believing in me from the moment he arrived. I really liked the new perspective he brought and the adjustments Brian made on how to run the program. He also brought in one of the best coaches I've ever had the privilege to work with, Izak van der Merwe.

Especially my junior year, I wasn't always the easiest to handle, but Brian and Izak kept believing in me and helped me find my joy and love for tennis again. Specifically, Izak invested a lot of time and energy to help me get through the tough times. Brian showed me what really matters on and off the court and taught me what it means to have perspective in life. Additionally, he named me the official team captain, which left me with a lot of new responsibilities and obligations. I'm honored and extremely proud to be the captain of this incredible team and forever thankful to have the opportunity to be the team captain. He definitely changed my life for the better, and I'm beyond thankful for him.

I don't even know where to begin, but I know I wouldn't be where I am today if Michael Woodson hadn't arrived on the same day that I did. Mike and I have been through thick and thin throughout the last five years. We have experienced two different head coaches and faced so much adversity throughout these years. I wouldn't want to have experienced it with anyone else. He is not just a coach for me; he became like a second dad for me. Over the last five years, he was always there for me even if it was not tennis-related. I don't know how many times he built me up when I hit bottom and pushed me to be the best I can be. He has definitely shaped me to be the man I am today, and I could go on and on about all the positive things Michael brought to my life. He is one special person, and I love him so much as a coach and person. I can't wait to finish my chapter with him to fulfill our long-awaited dream.

Constantin Frantzen