Feb. 19, 2018
In a sport with international appeal, there are few collegiate players more travelled than Auburn junior Brandon Laubser.
"It's not an exaggeration to say that I've been around the world," the accounting major explains. "I lived in South Africa for 18 years, and then I moved to Australia last year and I've been in college for two years in the States. When I was younger, I traveled a lot for tennis tournaments - into Europe, into Asia, into North America and Central America - pretty much every continent except Antarctica! I've done a lot of traveling; I'm kind of tired of it by now because the flying gets to you, so I enjoy being here."
Nationally ranked and a member of the junior Davis Cup team in South Africa, Laubser came to Auburn in the spring of 2016 and has already recorded more than 50 combined victories in his college career.
"I decided to come here because the tennis opportunities are the best. If I had stayed in South Africa, there would not have been the same chances for me to pursue a tennis career. "And I definitely made a good choice in coming to Auburn. My teammates feel like family to me. I love the place. People are very friendly and it's easy to make friends here. The facilities are top quality and the staff looking after us is amazing.
"I think playing as part of a team gives it more meaning, when people are depending on you, not just yourself. And the best moments are those when you clinch a victory for your team. You've got everyone supporting you and it's an amazing feeling."
Laubser and his teammates are in action this weekend at the 70th annual Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic being played Friday and Saturday at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.