Austin Klapman just wrapped his Monmouth tennis career with an impressive resume. As a freshman, Klapman went 13-2 in singles and 6-1 in doubles matches. Covid took a toll o his sophomore year, but as a junior, he was named a member of the Mid American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, and was awarded two big awards as a senior: The Joan Martin Award,given to senior Monmouth athletes who have shown dedication to their team while staying the course through adversity, and a Team Leadership Award, on top of keeping his spot on the MAAC All-Academic Team.
Throughout Austin's junior career, he was a top player in the Midwest, played on the Chicago District Cup team, won three USTA silver cups, won a USTA sportsmanship glass ball, and won the Notre Dame ITA. He then went on to play DI tennis at Monmouth University and helped the team capture the 2019 MAAC championship tournament. Austin spent his summers teaching tennis to children with difficulties and emphasized using athletics as a means to cope with stress. Here's what he has to say about his journey as a college tennis player who is hard of hearing and excelled during his time as an athlete.
Q: Tell me about your story and some personal struggles you had to overcome to get where you are today.
A: I am one of the few hard of hearing competitive tennis players in the United States. I started losing my hearing at age four and currently use a cochlear implant and hearing aid to hear. At age five, I started playing tennis. As my hearing became worse, tennis became my sanctuary. Public school was a loud challenging place to learn where I needed to advocate for myself frequently. Over time, I learned to read lips well. I owe much of my success to my Chicago coach, Jimmy Doessel. Unlike other players, I cannot hear instruction while I play nor can he hear the ball. I believe that I need to focus on people speaking which helps develop laser focus on court.
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Q: How has having a disability hindered your ability to reach out to coaches?
A: I never had any issues reaching out or contacting coaches due to my disability.
Q: Were there any coaches that were not nice to you or did not give you a chance?
A: No, every coach treated me with respect.
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Q: What could you say to the next generation of high school athletes who are having doubts about playing at the next level with a disability?
A:I would tell other athletes to never stop playing a sport you enjoy and always push to be your best.
Q: Who is one athlete you look up to that motivates you to become the best player you can be?
A: My tennis idol is Roger Federer, the “GOAT” who promotes respect for the game, respect for competitors, and respect for oneself.
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* Originally published on June 17, 2022, by Jimmy Criscione
