Wetzel Took the Long Road to Cambridge

They say that the shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line—sometimes it’s a curve. But for Martin Wetzel, a junior on the No. 21 Harvard men’s tennis team, the curvy road to Cambridge took 23 years to travel—not that he would have it any other way.

At one point, Wetzel was the second-ranked junior in his native Germany. He represented his homeland on the Junior Davis Cup Team, and for good measure, he joined the German Army.

And that was all before he attended the University of South Florida. In his two years with the Bulls, Wetzel was undefeated in regular season spring dual matches.

And this was all before Wetzel finally, at the ripe old age of 23, began his junior year at Harvard.

“What I like a lot is that you learn for life here at Harvard,” notes Wetzel, now 24. “Harvard just gives you lots of options. If you’re really active yourself, there are unlimited opportunities in all fields.”

As if he really needed to come to Cambridge to learn for life.

CROSSING THE POND

Growing up in Hergatz, a small town in southern Germany, Wetzel took up the game at the suggestion of a father’s friend, who was also the manager of a local tennis club. The youngster was not even eight, but he proved a quick learner.

His parents, Hans and Susanne, were never serious tennis players, nor was his sister Carolin.

But Wetzel was in the right place at the right time: German stars Steffi Graf and Boris Becker were at top on their respective tours, and the booming German federations supported their rising stars, funding practices and trips.

He competed intensely, earning ATP rankings and representing his country in international competition.

And after completing high school at 19, Wetzel fulfilled his civic duty with a 10-month stint in the German Army.

After his service, Wetzel again faced a decision, this time between a German college—at which sports are “not as prestigious, not as important”—or an American one.

And so Wetzel left Europe for the University of South Florida, where he began his freshman year in the fall of 2000.

“Martin is an excellent person,” says Bulls head coach Don Barr. “You won’t find a better person than Martin. He’s just first-class.”

The coach recalls that Wetzel, even though he was two years removed from South Florida, remembered to call Barr’s wife and wish her a happy birthday earlier this year.

Wetzel predominantly occupied the top singles spot for the Bulls with his booming forehand and experienced game, never losing in a regular season spring dual match.

SEEING CRIMSON

In March of 2001, the Harvard squad traveled to Tampa to play South Florida, and Wetzel defeated Cliff Nguyen, now a Crimson teammate and co-captain, in three sets.

It was the first time Crimson coach David Fish ’72 would see Wetzel, but not the last.

At the time, Wetzel couldn’t seek advice from Fish—a player must gain release from his athletic program before talking to others—but he talked extensively to Crimson players, gleaning as much information as he could about the university.

At the end of the 2002 academic year, Wetzel gained release from South Florida and left Tampa. He intended to transfer schools, though he was forced to take a year off while he waited for colleges to review his applications. During the time, however, he spoke closely to both Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley.

“I told myself, ‘If I’m going to get into Harvard, there’s no way I’m going to deny it,’” Wetzel explains. “It was definitely my top priority, and I felt that those two schools had the best overall packages.”

Wetzel returned to Germany for the year and interned with both Nike and Ferrero, flying back to Cambridge for an admissions interview.

When he heard that he had gained admission into Harvard, he knew “that was it.”

He split time last summer practicing tennis in Florida with Crimson teammate Mark Riddell and taking summer classes in Cambridge.

FEELS LIKE HOME

“Martin’s got some great experience,” Fish says of the new addition to his team. “He brings sort of an X-factor to the team.”

And finally, the Crimson has that X-factor healthy again. Wetzel was sidelined for much of the season with a lingering groin injury, and Fish said he “felt [that] we were past that window where we have a chance of getting him back.”

But Wetzel has recovered, and though his movement was somewhat hampered at first, he looks to be improving just in time for the NCAA tournament.

He has won his last four matches, explaining that “every single day now, I feel like I’m making a huge improvement.”

Still, though, “[the time off] has been kind of sad, because I wanted to contribute so badly to the team.”

Wetzel points to Riddell and co-captain David Lingman as teammates he admired for “their work ethics,” adding that he hopes to be as strong a leader next year.

And if the path Wetzel has taken to get here is any indication, he will be.

It’s been quite a trip from Hergatz to Tampa to Cambridge—24 years to be exact—but next weekend, as Wetzel bikes across the Charles River to the NCAA Tournament his team is hosting, he will bring with him a host of experiences. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.