Fourth-Ranked Lacroix Proves More To Tennis Than Power
Friday, January 14, 2011 | Men's Tennis, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tennis courts are everywhere in France. A popular French tennis website says tourists should seek out a terre battue (clay court) for a traditional game.
Florida men's tennis coach Andy Jackson goes to France to seek out players. He has recruited France heavily since his days at Mississippi State. Days before the Internet, iPhones and Google made information as easily obtainable as a carton of milk at the corner 7-Eleven.
Jackson, searching for a recruiting edge against powerful tennis programs such as UCLA and Florida in the late 1980s and early '90s, started recruiting French players regularly.
“The quality of athlete that is drawn to tennis is much higher,'' Jackson said. “It's the second-most important sport in France behind soccer.''
While Jackson said “the secret is out and has been out” for several years thanks to modern technology, he continues to find talent in the land of the Louvre and croissants. There were 458 student-athletes on the rosters of UF teams at the start of the fall semester, and the only two from France – Alexandre Lacroix and Nassim Slilam – are doubles partners on the UF's men's tennis team.
Lacroix, the Gators' only senior, has turned out to be a gem.
Lacroix enters Friday's SEC Indoor individual tournament hosted by Tennessee – the first event of the spring season – ranked No. 4 in the country in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles poll.
Lacroix's journey from Paris to Gainesville is one that has been steered by a desire to prove people wrong. In a game defined more and more in recent years by size and power – nine of the 10 players currently at the top of the ATP world rankings are 6-foot-1 or taller – the 5-foot-10, 150-pound Frenchman is somewhat of a throwback.
Instead of untouchable serves and screaming forehands, Lacroix's game is built on movement and touch.
And what he calls his “fighting spirit.''
“I'm not really tall,'' he said. “I play tennis OK I guess. In the past, I was not really confident in my game, in myself, in my ability. Basically, I worked a lot. I'm trying to show the other guy, if he wants to win, he is going to have to play really good.
“I'm not going to give the other guy points.''
Lacroix isn't sure where he got his me-against-the-world competitive spirit, maybe from his father, a former French wrestler who once had a shot at the Olympics, or his mother, a longtime tennis player. What Lacroix knows is that without it, he's just another player whose tennis career would be coming to a close in a few months.
But thanks to that never-say-die approach, he plans to turn pro after his time at UF ends.
First, he is focused on unfinished business with a chance to win Florida's first NCAA singles title since Jeff Morrison in 1999.
“He's going to be huge for us, more I think for the confidence of the other guys,'' Jackson said. “He is a very confident guy. He projects, 'Hey, I'm as good as or better than you, and I plan on beating you.' A lot of times that can carry over.''
Lacroix is coming off a strong fall season that included a 14-2 record, highlighted by a win over Kentucky's Eric Quigley – currently ranked No. 2 in the ITA singles poll – at the Napa Valley Classic in September. The victory boosted Lacroix's spring ranking and earned him a USTA wild card in a future event.
Lacroix enters the first event of the spring with a career record of 88-36, and in the fall he went 5-1 against fellow opponents ranked in the ITA preseason top 50.
“He's done a really good job with his career,'' Jackson said. “He is obviously one of the guys that has a chance to win the NCAAs … but he has had to improve a lot over the four years.''
As he prepares for the final stretch of his college career, Lacroix can't help but think about how far he has come mentally and physically since finishing his prep career at Lycee Jean De LaFontaine in Paris.
He spent a year after high school working on his game and mental approach, landing at Florida with the help of assistant coach Jeremy Bayon, who is from St. Etienne, France, and played for Jackson at Mississippi State. Bayon developed a friendship with Lacroix's father and Lacroix was interested in taking the same path as Bayon did when he left France for the U.S. to play college tennis.
“When I was young, they tell my, 'you're not tall enough to be a player, you're not tough enough to be a player.' So I kind of use it to build myself as a player,'' Lacroix said. “I kept a fighting spirit.''
Jackson sees a player who is now ready to succeed at the highest level. Besides working tirelessly on his tennis game, Lacroix is also interested in earning an MBA from a top business school to fall back on if a professional career isn't meant to be.
Jackson said that type of drive plus his skill make Lacroix dangerous.
“He is as good a mover as there is in NCAA tennis, probably one of the best 100 to 200 in the world,'' Jackson said. “I think he is going to go pretty fast professionally … mostly because he is extremely good with his legs and he shows up every day.
“Those things go a long way in tennis,'' he said.
And of course, so does that fighting spirit that Lacroix talks about. He summed it up this way:
“It's just myself and the ball,'' he said.
