'BAYLOR BEAR FOR LIFE'
7/19/2021 2:01:00 PM | Men's Tennis
2-Time Olympian John Peers Excited About Representing Australia
(This is the first of a series of features profiling former Baylor student-athletes "Going for the Gold" at the Olympics that begin with opening ceremonies on Friday in Tokyo.)
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Ten years after earning All-America honors wearing the green and gold for the Baylor tennis team, John Peers will don the green and gold again when he represents his native Australia at the Olympics that begin Friday with the opening ceremonies in Tokyo.
"Any opportunity I get to wear the green and gold and represent Australia, I'm going to put my hand up for every time," said Peers, the 25th-ranked doubles player in the world. "We were all very disappointed we couldn't go last year, because I know everyone was primed and ready to go. It was going to be such an amazing event and spectacle. But, I cherish every time I get to wear the green and gold. That's something I'm very passionate about."
Peers, who turns 33 on Sunday, has already represented Australia in 12 Davis Cup matches and the first two editions of the ATP Cup and is now a two-time Olympian. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he lost in the first round of men's doubles with Chris Guccione and mixed doubles with Samantha Stosur.
"The Olympics had always been a childhood dream of mine growing up," he said. "Even when I talk about it, it gives me little chills down the back of my spine as I try to come to grips that I'm now a two-time Olympian and get to rub shoulders with some of the other amazing athletes.
"We're lucky enough to be in a sport where we play year-around, calendar year after calendar year, and we have a lot of big events year-around. But, to be around these other amazing athletes that get one shot every four years, it's just something really special and something I'm honored to do."
The old man on Australia's team, Peers will be paired with 23-year-old Max Purcell, who's currently ranked 39th in doubles, and hopes to play with Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in mixed doubles.
"Sign-ups (for mixed doubles) is right before we start," he said. "Fingers crossed, Ash wants to play and we'll be able to get up and about. That should be fun if we can convince her. I just know she's had a bit of a slug, so it will be interesting to see if she would want to play three events or not."
Peers is coming off a Wimbledon run of his own. While bowing out in the first round of men's doubles, he lost a three-set semifinal in mixed doubles with China's Shuai Zhang.
"It was one of those that could have gone either way, if we could have kind of snuck things our way at the start of the second set," said Peers, who won the 2017 Australian Open doubles title with Henri Kontinen. "But, that's sport and that's tennis. You just have to try to roll with it and enjoy it."
A young lad of 12 at the time, Peers remembers "just the hype and the happiness that it brings to people" when the Olympics were held in Sydney in 2000.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to any of the events," he said. "But, I remember Cathy Freeman doing what she did in the 400 (winning the gold medal in track). That was something that all of Australia got behind. I'm sure you could talk to any of the athletes, and they'll have memories from different athletes from their country. It just brings so many people together."
Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the Olympics were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed back to this year. The blessing in disguise was the shutdown gave John the unique opportunity to spend time back home in Perth, Australia, with his wife, Danielle, and two daughters, Ellie Rose, 4, and Harper Grace, who turns 2 next month.
"We don't normally get three months off in the middle of the year, let alone the end of the year," he said. "So, for me, to be able to get the home time, recharge, get some great training under the belt and just use it as an opportunity to reset . . . it was certainly an experience that I made the most of, to be able to recharge and just refresh the body and mind."
Ranked in the top 30 all year, Peers won a tournament in Geneva, Switzerland, in May with fellow Aussie Michael Venus and reached the finals at the Queen's Club last month with American Reilly Opelka.
"I think it's a little bit of finding the right fit," Peers said of his sustained success in doubles, which included a career-high ranking of No. 2 with Kontinen in 2017, "but it's also understanding that everyone's slightly different. You just try to bring out the best in each person. (Picking a good partner is) 90% of the battle in doubles. Hopefully, if I can continue to do that, it should be a lot of fun and we'll see if we can ride this wave a little bit longer."
A transfer from Middle Tennessee State, Peers earned doubles All-America honors with Roberto Maytin as a senior at Baylor in 2011, helping the Bears win the Big 12 regular-season title and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals. He finished the season ranked No. 5 in doubles and No. 21 in singles.
"Baylor is such a great family to be a part of," Peers said, "to be able to lean on guys like Benni Becker, Lars Poerschke, Benedikt Dorsch and all those boys that went through it before me. We're all over the world, we're always keeping track of each other. It doesn't matter how far you step away or how long you're a part of the family, you're always a Baylor Bear for life. That's probably the biggest thing that people don't understand about the Baylor community."
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Ten years after earning All-America honors wearing the green and gold for the Baylor tennis team, John Peers will don the green and gold again when he represents his native Australia at the Olympics that begin Friday with the opening ceremonies in Tokyo.
"Any opportunity I get to wear the green and gold and represent Australia, I'm going to put my hand up for every time," said Peers, the 25th-ranked doubles player in the world. "We were all very disappointed we couldn't go last year, because I know everyone was primed and ready to go. It was going to be such an amazing event and spectacle. But, I cherish every time I get to wear the green and gold. That's something I'm very passionate about."
Peers, who turns 33 on Sunday, has already represented Australia in 12 Davis Cup matches and the first two editions of the ATP Cup and is now a two-time Olympian. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he lost in the first round of men's doubles with Chris Guccione and mixed doubles with Samantha Stosur.
"The Olympics had always been a childhood dream of mine growing up," he said. "Even when I talk about it, it gives me little chills down the back of my spine as I try to come to grips that I'm now a two-time Olympian and get to rub shoulders with some of the other amazing athletes.
"We're lucky enough to be in a sport where we play year-around, calendar year after calendar year, and we have a lot of big events year-around. But, to be around these other amazing athletes that get one shot every four years, it's just something really special and something I'm honored to do."
The old man on Australia's team, Peers will be paired with 23-year-old Max Purcell, who's currently ranked 39th in doubles, and hopes to play with Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty in mixed doubles.
"Sign-ups (for mixed doubles) is right before we start," he said. "Fingers crossed, Ash wants to play and we'll be able to get up and about. That should be fun if we can convince her. I just know she's had a bit of a slug, so it will be interesting to see if she would want to play three events or not."
Peers is coming off a Wimbledon run of his own. While bowing out in the first round of men's doubles, he lost a three-set semifinal in mixed doubles with China's Shuai Zhang.
"It was one of those that could have gone either way, if we could have kind of snuck things our way at the start of the second set," said Peers, who won the 2017 Australian Open doubles title with Henri Kontinen. "But, that's sport and that's tennis. You just have to try to roll with it and enjoy it."
A young lad of 12 at the time, Peers remembers "just the hype and the happiness that it brings to people" when the Olympics were held in Sydney in 2000.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to any of the events," he said. "But, I remember Cathy Freeman doing what she did in the 400 (winning the gold medal in track). That was something that all of Australia got behind. I'm sure you could talk to any of the athletes, and they'll have memories from different athletes from their country. It just brings so many people together."
Originally scheduled for the summer of 2020, the Olympics were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed back to this year. The blessing in disguise was the shutdown gave John the unique opportunity to spend time back home in Perth, Australia, with his wife, Danielle, and two daughters, Ellie Rose, 4, and Harper Grace, who turns 2 next month.
"We don't normally get three months off in the middle of the year, let alone the end of the year," he said. "So, for me, to be able to get the home time, recharge, get some great training under the belt and just use it as an opportunity to reset . . . it was certainly an experience that I made the most of, to be able to recharge and just refresh the body and mind."
Ranked in the top 30 all year, Peers won a tournament in Geneva, Switzerland, in May with fellow Aussie Michael Venus and reached the finals at the Queen's Club last month with American Reilly Opelka.
"I think it's a little bit of finding the right fit," Peers said of his sustained success in doubles, which included a career-high ranking of No. 2 with Kontinen in 2017, "but it's also understanding that everyone's slightly different. You just try to bring out the best in each person. (Picking a good partner is) 90% of the battle in doubles. Hopefully, if I can continue to do that, it should be a lot of fun and we'll see if we can ride this wave a little bit longer."
A transfer from Middle Tennessee State, Peers earned doubles All-America honors with Roberto Maytin as a senior at Baylor in 2011, helping the Bears win the Big 12 regular-season title and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals. He finished the season ranked No. 5 in doubles and No. 21 in singles.
"Baylor is such a great family to be a part of," Peers said, "to be able to lean on guys like Benni Becker, Lars Poerschke, Benedikt Dorsch and all those boys that went through it before me. We're all over the world, we're always keeping track of each other. It doesn't matter how far you step away or how long you're a part of the family, you're always a Baylor Bear for life. That's probably the biggest thing that people don't understand about the Baylor community."
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