The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
My story: A Longhorns portrait of George Goldhoff
02.01.2016 | Men's Tennis
George Goldhoff and the men’s tennis team host California, Stanford for weekend indoor matches.
The courts were right beside his house, so when nine-year-old George Goldhoff's dad suggested they go play some tennis, it only made sense.
Goldhoff said he wasn't good at basketball, wasn't big enough for football. But tennis provided something different, a sport that would test him mentally as much as physically. He and his dad would get up as early as 5 a.m. to go play, first hitting with a ball machine and then one another.
"I've had a passion for it ever since," says Goldhoff, now a junior at The University of Texas. "I enjoy the individuality of tennis, and how I can control my own fate on the court."
Goldoff likens tennis to moving golf in that you're trying to hit to a particular spot with each and every stroke. The comparison pretty much ends when the movement begins, because the tennis court demands without ceasing.
Too muscular or bulky, and you won't have the quickness to move. But if you're wiry or thin, opponents can just overpower you.
"It's hand-eye coordination, anticipation," Goldhoff explains. "You have to be able to hit a certain spot, on the run, and be able to do that for as long as it takes. Sometimes it's four hours. It's an incredibly difficult sport."
Goldhoff arrived on the Forty Acres in 2013 as a highly-coveted freshman. He was named the Southern California Tennis Association Player of the Year in 2012 and won the USTA National Open in Waco, Texas also that year.
The Longhorns graduated five seniors last season, which allowed Goldhoff to grow into the program by observing strong leaders. As a freshman, he earned six victories against ranked opponents and competed primarily at No. 4 singles as a sophomore.
Goldhoff's natural affinity for the sport and appreciation for its physical demands ensure his focus in training and preparation. The biggest adjustment was in the classroom, according to Goldhoff, because he was homeschooled his final two years of high school.
"It was a shock, my first semester, I'm not going to lie," Goldhoff says. "It made me mature faster. You have to be on time. Simply, you have to be a better student."
The life of a student-athlete is a juggling act of time demands. Many days, Goldhoff leaves his apartment at 6 a.m. and doesn't return until 8 or 9 p.m.
Now as a junior and leader on a young Texas team, Goldhoff appreciates the opportunity to lead by example. The manner in which he conducts himself day-to-day mirrors the responsibility he takes with him to the court for competition.
"Mentally, you have to be the strongest," Goldhoff says. "If you can't make the right decisions at the right time, it doesn't matter."
Players Mentioned
