Interview with Lester Cook
Nov 04, 2010 | Men's Tennis
Nov. 4, 2010
Kevin O'Shea, director of operations for Texas A&M tennis, sat down with former standout Lester Cook this week to catch up on how life at Texas A&M has prepared him for a professional tennis career in the ATP. Quotes from their interview are below.
Tell me about your best moment as an Aggie tennis player.
My freshman year playing line 3 against UT in the Big 12 Tournament. My best moment was when I won my match and we won as a team in front of 1,500 Aggie tennis fans.
What's your favorite Aggie tradition?
I was always impressed that we would get 20,000 fans out for yell practice and I also think it's great that the 12th Man stands throughout all the football games.
Tell me about the Aggie tennis crowd.
The fans in College Station were always very knowledgeable about the game of tennis. It was a great atmosphere and all other universities thought it was a tough place to come and play.
What advice could you give to juniors trying to select a college?
I selected a college based on the coach. You must be very comfortable with the coach and his coaching style.
How did college tennis prepare you for the pro tour?
In college tennis, you are traveling with the team, your coach, and trainer. The coaches help you with things like practice times, racket stringing, etc. But, when you are on your own you don't have those things done for you. The way you prepare for matches in college should be the way you prepare for matches on the tour by yourself.
Where are you training right now and how has it helped you with your recent success?
I'm training at Saddlebrook Academy in Florida. I'm training much harder now and I'm doing it the right way. I've been working with a coach, Rene Moller, for four months and it has definitely changed my game. I've made a grip change on my backhand and it's made a world of difference even though in this stage of my career it seems too late to make grip changes.
What advice could you give to Conor Pollock , Austin Krajicek and Brett Joelson as they start their young careers on the pro tour?
I'd encourage them to try to find a coach and a place to train, to pay close attention to the tour schedule, and train at a very high level.
What are your goals for 2011? Where do you want to be in the rankings?
I made all the qualifying draws this year in the grand slams, but I'd like to be seeded in the qualifying draws next year. My goal is to be in the top 150 in the world
