Eliot Spizzirri is Committed. All in. All the time.

I know. Annoying. Another post related to Texas tennis. The Men’s Big 12 Season Championship blog and that other one about Peyton Stearns. To that I say, I was right about both of those blogs – you’re welcome. And guess what? I’ll let you jump to the end of the book here; I’m going to be right in this post too.

While incredibly talented, Eliot Spizzirri has paid the price to be successful. His success is built on a consistent, sustained fire that he stokes every day. Often with elite players, we focus on the flash of the game and the aesthetics of play we see. For what it’s worth, Eliot checks those boxes better than most. But if you’re not careful, you will miss one of the major things that make him so special. That’s where I come in – to slow things down and draw your focus to the thing I keep coming back to when I think of Eliot: commitment.

Eliot is and has always been an elite player. He was basically the best recruit in the country, a grand slam doubles champion, and top 20 ITF. Now, he’s the number 1 ranked player in college tennis. Eliot ending up where he is now, on paper, probably isn’t too much of a shock. However, he had to go through a little bit of hell to get here. In Eliot’s first full year at Texas (the spring of 2021) he finished as a top 25 college player, playing at line 1 on a team that made the final four. That’s about the start people were hoping for and expecting from Eliot. That next year was lining up to be the next move.

Shortly after that, for nearly 18 months leading up until this January 2023, Eliot (a right-handed player with a two-handed backhand) was forced to play without the ability to use his left hand on his backhand. No exaggeration; nothing with the left hand allowed. Crushing. Spare me with any references to a few players with two handed backhands who essentially only use the chip. If we’re being honest, those players will put that second hand on the racked often for returns, passes, high balls, etc., which makes a HUGE difference. Also, those players have been dealing with their issue for years, and their games have largely developed around their nearly exclusive use of the slice. This was certainly not the case with Eliot. I’m not going to say his backhand was his primary strength, but Eliot had at least what could be considered a solid backhand, and then had the rug pulled out from under him. When you have the expectations and goals Eliot has, dealing with this injury for this long is certainly demoralizing.

I got in a car wreck leading into the Spring season of my junior year and broke a couple fingers on my left hand. For about 6 weeks I couldn’t put my left hand on the racket. For about 4 weeks after that, I was allowed to hit my two-handed backhand, but it often hurt. Do you know how hard it is to genuinely play straight up like that? Not toying around, not operating as if it’s a no-lose situation because of your injury, but to do it honestly, day in and day out, as if it the situation is normal for you. It’s almost impossible. For roughly 10 weeks, I, a player with maybe 1/100^th of the responsibility and weight that Eliot carries for his respective team, had to deal with something somewhat similar to what Eliot had to go through. My ledger was riddled with bad days during that time.  Some days, I kind of played serious, but it was marred with instances of me messing around. Other days, I wanted to set everything around me on fire out of frustration. In those moments, I was unable to truly approach tennis it as if nothing was wrong.

Eliot had to deal with his injury for 18 MONTHS, and you can probably count the number of bad days, where he approached his situation in a soft manner, on one hand (no pun intended). Eliot is obviously a way better player and person that I am (low bar, honestly). To to be dealt that hand (excuse the pun, again. Geez what is wrong with me?) and not only be expected to compete, but to win…expected to win… is insane. With this hindrance, in spring 2022, Eliot went 11-6 in singles and 15-4 in dubs in dual matches. This past fall, he made the semis of All-American’s in Tulsa and the final of the Fall National Championship – still… one hand. Obviously, the level of tennis you have to bring to do this is wild. But the mental stamina and determination to have this success may be more absurd.

Starting in January 2023, Eliot put his left hand on the racket. Surprise, surprise – he’s the best player in the country. To state the obvious, Eliot has some serious game. It’s pretty obvious when you watch it. Despite being the number 1 seed in the individual tournament, there’s no guarantee he wins that either. Eliot’s not invincible, and he’s not a flawless player. He loses sets. He was behind in both his Round of 16 and Elite 8 matches in the team event. But if you want to take him down, if you want to finish the job and hand him the “L,” you better come to work. Even if you do match him with your level, which is a very high bar most days, don’t get ahead of yourself, because Eliot not only comes to play, he comes to fight. Several players have pushed him. But his limits, time and again, show to exceed those of his opponents. He is steadfast and determined, and if you do not meet him with equal resolve, you will lose. Period.

At risk of making this a full-on love fest for the kid, he’s also a good dude. He’s not a buttoned up, stiff, no-mistakes, boring guy. He’s got some texture to him – a little edge in some spots. But on the whole, he’s a good guy. A guy you want on your side. Alex Gruskin at National Indoors this year said something to the effect that 98% of college coaches, if given the opportunity to pull one kid from another team, would take Eliot. I like to think that encapsulates his level as a player and the character of the human. Eliot’s background, prior accolades, and current successes might lead you to guess he’d be some entitled, spoiled guy that doesn’t have to put in the work. He’s not. In fact, he’s the opposite. It is so clear that he comes from a great family and great prior coaching. And despite his individual achievements, he’s all in on the team culture and enjoys being part of something bigger than himself.

To quickly touch on the future: Eliot wants to be a pro. While he has one more year of eligibility, I’m not sure if a specific result at NCAA individuals in any way dictates or affects decisions about his future. That being said, by the time you read this, he may have already lost. Personally, I hope and bet that he would still be in. But I’ve seen his draw; it’s pretty brutal and he’s had a long season. Not an excuse, just a reality. Regardless of future prospects or the results that may happen this week, I thought it would be helpful for you to know a little about the young man and what he’s gone through. Because, hopefully, you’re going to continue to hear and see his name.

Of course, I’m rooting for Eliot, but you should too.  He could have been mad at the world for how his tennis was thrown of course for a year and a half. And he could have had a “too cool” or “I’ve arrived” attitude when both when he arrived on campus or as he has come out the other end hell with his recent success. Nope. Nope to all of it. When things surely felt so terrible that he didn’t want to show up, he came to work. And, when things were going so well that he could have had an excuse to just skate by and ride the wave, he came to work.

Despite what anyone will tell you to the contrary, showing up every day truly committed to work even when things are “normal” can be hard and is a lot rarer than you may think. To do it when you feel like your foundation and dreams are starting to shake beneath you as well as when you’re the king of the mountain is beyond impressive. Eliot’s committed. He’s all in, all the time, no matter what…and that should be applauded.