A catalyst for culture change, senior Tom Wright has made the most of his two seasons at Auburn.
A transfer from Arizona State in the summer of 2019, Wright has put together 19 wins in doubles during his covid-shortened Auburn career – 13 of them paired with Maxwell Giddens this season – and six singles victories, but his presence has made a noticeable difference both on and off the court.
"I had a rough experience at Arizona State with injuries, so Auburn has been big for me," the former British junior doubles champion from Beckenham in greater London says. "I needed a fresh start. I chose Auburn because of the coaches and their values on tennis.
"I've had two of the best mentors here in Bobby (Reynolds) and Chris (Hooshyar) and an unbelievable support system with the educational services. The coaches have proven everything they said about Auburn to be true.
"Everything that the athletic side offered has been amazing and it's just helped me mature and look at life post-tennis in a much different way. I appreciate tennis a lot more than maybe I used to, and I'm looking forward to the future."
Wright, who is studying sociology with a concentration in criminology, may continue with tennis in the near future. "My post-college plans are not yet set – I'm hoping to stay on at Auburn as the volunteer assistant."
"I'm really proud of this whole team in general," Wright says. "Beating Bama in Tuscaloosa had to be our best moment by far. They were ranked 25 and we weren't ranked yet and they had beaten us a few years in a row, so to go to Tuscaloosa and come down to that deciding match and we won 4-3 – that's what college sports is all about!"
Wright has had an important impact on that team success. "He singlehandedly has changed and put Auburn in a real change of culture that I didn't think anybody would be able to do in such a short period of time," Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds says.
"From the first day, he gained the respect of his coaches, his teammates, and everybody around him. You don't find too many transfers to come in and become the captain right away – that just speaks to who he is as a person, to his beliefs and to the way he can rally the troops around him.
"Tennis is his passion; the sport has been with him since he was 4 or 5 years old. He sees the game from the player's and the coach's viewpoint, he knows how to connect with his teammates, he knows how to connect with people outside the court – whether it's tennis or whatever he wants to pursue, he's going to be successful. I'm hoping he can stay here an extra year to be a volunteer assistant with us and spend that time to pursue his passion of tennis and see where it leads him," Reynolds adds.
Wright is thankful that tennis led him to Auburn. "I remember the first time I walked around campus – it's such a beautiful campus. I was on my own here that first week and just walking around, with the arena and stadium right in the middle of campus – I'm going to miss walking past those every time I walk from class to go to the Wellness Kitchen to get some food – it's such an amazing walk. The campus is just so, so beautiful.
"And the people and the Auburn spirit -- it's kind of contagious. I didn't really believe in it when I got here, but once you get here, it begins in the first few football games you go to and you appreciate how much this small town loves this school. The more you're here, you just love Auburn. You want every sport to win regardless of what it is, you want to attend any game that you can go to – anything to just sneak in and watch another team play for Auburn – I'm going to want those teams to win for the rest of my life."
"It's unfortunate that the body has not been able to hold up for Tom injury-wise, but he has such a future, whether it's in tennis or whatever he wants to pursue, he's going to be successful," Reynolds predicts. And that future will always hold fond memories of Auburn.
"Every time I hear a War Eagle, it's going to mean a lot," Wright says. "It's going to bring me back and bring back a lot of good memories. We hear it so much now and it's just sub-conscious to say it back, but if I'm walking around in a few years with some Auburn athletic gear on and someone shouts "War Eagle!" it will bring me back to those days of college and how much fun I had here. I love Auburn."
