U.K. Transfer Reflects on Wild First Season For Men’s Tennis

As a freshman hailing from the United Kingdom, Deji Thomas-Smith expected his new environment to be a challenge. But his first season playing tennis in the United States was even more unpredictable than he expected.

Moving to the U.S. to play tennis for Liberty University was a leap of faith for Thomas-Smith, an already-successful player in the U.K with a very impressive resume. Thomas-Smith ranked as high as No. 20 in the U.K. national rankings and acquired two national championships with Surrey Tennis, a tennis program in the top national division.

However, Thomas-Smith knew that if he wanted to play against the best and take his tennis game to a new level, he needed to move to the U.S. 

“There is a much higher level of tennis ability in U.S colleges compared to the universities in the United Kingdom,” Thomas-Smith said. “Considering I wanted to play and see how far I can get in the sport, while also pursuing an education, it was the best time for me to come to the States.”

After relocating to the States, Thomas-Smith quickly realized the contrast between competitive tennis play in the U.K. and the U.S.

“In the U.K. you only have a handful of universities that are pushing to be good, but in the U.S., there are so many more schools competing to get ranked,” Thomas-Smith said.

In the heat of the intense collegiate competition in the U.S., Thomas-Smith continued his tennis play for the Flames, capturing 10 singles victories in the 2019-20 fall season. During Liberty’s season opener Sept. 15 (the Liberty University Invitational) he also won the White doubles flight crown (3-0 record) alongside partner Steve Mundt, who is from Berlin, Germany. 

Thomas-Smith had a strong start to the 2020 spring season as well, before all ASUN sports were cancelled March 13 due to COVID-related concerns. He attained singles victories over opponents from Virginia Tech and No. 38-ranked University of Virginia. When the season ended, Thomas-Smith was tied for the most doubles victories on the team with 14 wins. 

Before the state-wide quarantine began, Thomas-Smith was able to travel back to the U.K. to stay with his family throughout the summer. 

“Three or four days after I arrived back home in London, the official lockdown started and I was not allowed to leave the house,” Thomas-Smith said. “So, it was quite restricted for me to stay fit and healthy, but I made the most of what I had.”

While in lockdown, Thomas-Smith enjoyed his time at home. Since he was not allowed to play tennis, he spent the majority of his time with his family, making memories, learning new recipes and watching old family films with his parents.

Thomas-Smith is excited to be back on Liberty’s campus this semester and is looking forward to what the year has in store for him.

“I am looking forward to seeing all of my friends,” Thomas-Smith said. “I am looking forward to just training and playing in tournaments and seeing all of the hard work I’ve put in.”

Emmanuel Adamson is a Social Media Manager. Follow him on Twitter at @Eadamson12.