In our ‘Training with the Pros’ series, Andrew Harris reflects on the importance of persistence and never giving up on your dreams.
Melbourne, Australia, 5 April 2024 | Jackson Mansell
Andrew Harris has achieved some major career milestones in the past year.
The 30-year-old made his top-100 doubles debut, advanced to his first ATP doubles final and progressed to a Grand Slam semifinal (in mixed doubles at Australian Open 2024 alongside fellow Melburnian Jaimee Fourlis).
Persistence has proven a defining quality of the former top-10 junior, who won two Grand Slam boys’ doubles title with Nick Kyrgios in 2012.
He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No.159 in 2019, before injury forced him to focus primarily on doubles from mid-2022.
Harris, whose mother Anne Minter was a former top 30-ranked professional player, reflects on his most memorable practice sessions and offers valuable advice in our Train with the Pros series.
Do you have a favourite time of day to practice?
Mid morning. Not too early but not too late. I do long, physical warm-ups because my body is not great, so I always have to do at least an hour before in the gym. So if you hit at 10am, you’ve got to be there at 8.30am or 9am, which is a bit early. I think 11am or 12pm to hit is the perfect time for me.
How many hours, on average, do you spend on the practice court?
I usually do about two hours a day, Monday through to Saturday, and then Sunday, I’ll have as a rest day.
Do you have a favourite part of your game to work on?
I think my best shot is probably my backhand, I’ve always hit it pretty well. You still sort of practice everything. I used to play singles, and then my body wasn’t good, so I can only play doubles now. That’s a very different experience, so your practices are a lot different, a lot more repetitive. But you still try and keep it fun, and practice a bit of everything.
Do you have a least favourite part of your game to work on?
I actually don’t enjoy practising my serve. It’s kind of weird, because it’s such an important part of your game, especially in doubles. But I just don’t ever really love going out with a bucket of balls and just serving. When you’re hitting groundstrokes and you’re playing points, your energy is high, but then it’s sort of like a real lull when you go into serving practice.
Can you remember the first professional player you had an opportunity to hit with?
I remember hitting…
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