Tennis is a family affair for father-son duo

For freshman Tanner Smith, tennis has always been a part of the family. In 2004, Peter Smith, his father, took him to a USTA National Men’s 40s event at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Now, more than a decade and two father-son championships later, Tanner is playing for the USC men’s tennis team under the direction of his father and coach.

Peter grew up in Connecticut and played many sports when he was young, but he found a liking for tennis and soon found himself coaching collegiate teams.

“We had a little tennis court in our driveway,” Peter said. “It was just something we did in the summertime. I just got more serious when we moved out to California when I was 14. I played college tennis, and I really just happened to end up becoming a college coach. It wasn’t anything I dreamed of doing or planned on doing. Other people saw things in me and they offered for me to be a college coach, which I never even thought about, but I fell in love with it immediately.”

Tanner isn’t the only son who wanted to play tennis. His two younger brothers, Riley and Colter, are also very interested in playing tennis with their dad in competition. In turn,  Peter has created a rotation schedule.

“Colter was feeling like ‘Hey, I’m the youngest. I always get left out.’ The older boys decided to let him join in the fun,” Peter said. “Now, Colter’s becoming a really good player. Really, in the end, you do it to enjoy time with your kids, not necessarily to win.”

Tanner began competing with his father in father-son matches at the Father-Son Nationals on hard courts at La Jolla in 2005. By 2007, the Smith father-son duo reached the quarterfinals at La Jolla. In 2010, the Smiths made trips to Boston for the Father-Son Nationals on grass courts and Cincinnati for the Father-Son Nationals on clay courts.

Looking back from 2004-2010, Tanner says that time was filled with mainly fun and learning.

“Those years were almost, in a way, the most fun because I was the little kid on the court and everyone would kind of pick on me, and I could somewhat hang in there, so it was a lot of fun,” Tanner said. “But, we definitely learned how to play together. There’s definitely a learning curve to it.”

“He learned that I’m in charge,” Peter added with a laugh.

In his younger years, Tanner was often called “shrimp,” but he says that name probably helped him more than it hindered him.

“At one point, we played a top junior.,” Tanner said. “I was like 12 years old, and we went out there and beat him and his dad because there’s no pressure on me. I’m just the little kid with the dad who’s really good.”

Peter further described the expectations for Tanner and himself by comparing it to movies.

“Life is a lot about expectations,” Peter said. “You go see a movie that everyone tells you is bad, and you’re not expecting a lot. Then the movie is pretty good. It’s the same [with us]. Tanner was 12, so everything was just upside.  For us to win any match was fun. When we started beating seeded teams and really good players, we were just having a blast.”

In 2011, Tanner and Peter made it to the final match at the Father-Son Nationals on clay courts in Cincinnati without dropping a set. The pair was knocked off, however, in a tough three-set loss to Jerry and Brett Morse-Karzen by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. A few months later, the Smiths assembled an impressive performance at La Jolla, which ultimately led them to face Brian and Brett Joelson, a pairing that was riding a 51-match tournament winning streak, in the semifinal match. The Smiths and Joelsons battled for three very close sets, but in the end, Tanner and Peter prevailed as major underdogs and defeated the Joelsons by a final score of 6-7(9), 7-6(5), 7-5.

Tanner and his father didn’t win in the finals, but Peter still believes that his semifinal win with his son was his “favorite match ever.”

“To beat a team that’s never been beaten before — that’s pretty cool,” Peter said.  “That match is really etched in my memory.Just to do something that had never been done before was really a lot of fun, and to do it with your oldest son — it’s pretty special.”

Even with that great memory, the two finals matches that the duo had lost in a matter of months were tough to swallow for Tanner and Peter.

“Honestly, I think those are the toughest two losses I’ve ever had,” Tanner said. “It just gave us some experience. It’s funny [because] you wouldn’t think father-son would need that much experience, but it’s such an experience game.”

“Those were extremely painful losses,” Peter said. “You’re playing with your son. You want to win for your son. It was the most pressure I’d ever felt. You just want to win, and then when you lose, it’s crushing .”

Tanner missed the 2012 and 2013 Father-Son Nationals on hard courts at La Jolla due to injury. Instead, Colter and Riley played with Peter at the Father-Son Nationals on hard courts. Colter and his father made it to the round of 16 in 2012, while Riley and his father took the Father-Son Nationals on hard courts title in 2013.After 17 months off, Tanner returned in 2014, and produced stellar tennis performances with his dad. Tanner and Peter were victorious in 80 percent of their matches on their way to the championship round at the Father-Son Nationals on clay courts. The Smiths dominated the first set 6-0, but found themselves facing a third set after losing the second set.

The Smiths found themselves down 4-3 in the final round and were determined not to lose another finals match. The two then rallied and won the next three games-in-a-row to become national champions.

The two would follow that accomplishment by winning at the Father-Son Nationals on hard courts in La Jolla in December.

Tanner says he feels like he is a strong doubles player, which he attributes partly to the father-son tennis matches he has played, but he also says that he has grown tremendously in his first semester at USC.

“This first semester I’ve improved so much, it’s scary,” Tanner said. “We really have the two best coaches in college tennis, and they’ve helped me so much. I feel like I’m a different player.”

Looking ahead, Peter will compete in father-son competitions this summer, but Tanner will not be his father’s partner this time.

“It’s Colter’s turn,” Peter said. “Colter and I are going to go play in Boston and Cincinnati this summer. We’re really looking forward to that. It’s all about having these incredible memories with your kids. As painful as it was losing for Tanner, they’re special times and they’re special memories. They bond you with your child like almost nothing else can…we just kind of look at each other and just say, ‘Let’s go, let’s do this.’”

Tanner couldn’t have agreed more with the man who is his father, partner and coach.

“It just brings you so close,” Tanner said. “It’s such a bonding moment to just be battling your heart out on the court. Come up short or win, it doesn’t matter. You’re just both battling your heart out, and it’s so cool.”