University of Tennessee Athletics
Serve & Volley: Adam Walton
January 27, 2018 | Men's Tennis
Freshman Adam Walton is off to a fast start to the team tennis season, helping the Vols to a 7-0 record entering the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
Walton, from Home Hill, Australia, is one of three freshmen in the lineup for the Vols this season. He has started at No. 3 and 4 singles and at the top of the doubles lineup with Preston Touliatos.
He is 14-6 overall in singles, including 6-1 in dual matches, and a team-leading 14-3 in doubles.
He and sophomore Scott Jones are continuing a long tradition of Australian tennis players on Rocky Top. The Vols have had at least one player from Australia on the team every year since 1988.
Before leaving for Austin, Texas, Walton took some minutes to talk tennis, desert island survival and rugby:
Q: You played a lot of tournaments in the fall, but now it's the team season. What has the dual match experience been like?
"It's definitely different. Playing school tennis in Australia, I was used to the team thing, but it's just another level here. It's definitely a lot different from the individual tournaments, but we've started well as a team. Our preseason was pretty good. Me and Preston have started pretty well in doubles, and I've also started well mid-lineup in singles, so it's been good so far."
Q: What's been the biggest change in your game since getting to Knoxville in August?
"I think the biggest change from August to now is that I'm physically a lot stronger. I feel in better shape. I would say my serve has gotten stronger and definitely my volleys have improved a lot."
Q: What's it been like playing with Preston? You spent a lot of the fall together and started at the top of the lineup.
"Yeah, playing with Preston is very good. He's got a very fiery personality. That definitely helps me. Especially when I get down, he's always there to lift me up. We had a very good fall, and playing in the spring, we haven't lost yet. We're off to a good start as a pair, so that's been good."
Q: It's summer back home for you this time of year. What's the winter here been like for you?
"It's very different. The cold here is more intense here than it is in Australia. I can't wait for it to be summer again. (laughs) Playing indoors is very different. I haven't done that in my life ever. We don't need to go indoors in our winter."
Q: The Australian Open is going on right now. What's the tournament like at Melbourne Park?
"It's my first time not being in Melbourne for the Australian Open in quite some time. I always liked watching it, and I was fortunate enough to play it my last two years of juniors, which was cool. It's been very different with the time zone difference being able to watch many matches of the Australian Open, but it is what it is."
Q: What's something people need to know about your hometown?
"In my childhood, I grew up in a small town called Home Hill. That town, population of about 2,000, is a very country town. We do a lot of outdoor hobbies like fishing and water skiing Then I moved to Brisbane, and I was there the last five years of my life before coming to America. Brisbane's very different too. City lifestyle. Much more people. It's good to have a mixture of the two."
Q: You mention the outdoor activities back home. Is that something you like to do?
"I've always spent a lot of time outdoors, more so than video games. I do not know how to play 'Call of Duty' or any playstation game. I love going fishing and love the outdoors."
Q: Is there any outdoor hobby that you would like to do professionally, if it were a full-time job?
"From a young age, I played a lot of rugby, cricket and tennis. If I had my time again, I probably would have stuck with rugby. There are more professional players in the National Rugby League than there is in tennis."
Q: What team do you support?
"I go for the Canterbury Bulldogs. They're a Sydney-based team, but my father went for them from a young age. I picked early, and I haven't changed since. I've stayed loyal."
Q: Do you have any team rivalries with Scotty?
"Believe it or not, he supports the AFL, not NRL. We don't have that big of rivalries because I don't support what he supports."
Q: Have you ever collected anything?
"I'm a big coin and currency collector whenever I travel to Asia and all different parts of the world. I like to collect little small change. It's cool to look over them whenever you get a chance."
Q: Have you ever played a musical instrument?
"I played the recorder in primary school, but I'm pretty sure everyone did. Other than that? No. My music career is not my strong point."
Q: Best golfer on the team?
"Scotty. He and Preston would say they're better than each other, but I would say Scotty's better. I've seen them both play."
Q: You don't play video games, so you're a neutral observer. Who could go pro in video games?
"Andrew Rogers by far. One hundred percent him. He plays non-stop. I stayed with him over break; 24/7 video games. It is unbelievable."
Q: So you stayed with him during the holidays?
"Correct. Over this winter break, I stayed with him. We stayed at his house for a week. Then we went to Salt Lake City, Utah, and we spent a week with his family friends, which was nice as well."
Q: If the team were stranded on a desert island, who would survive for the longest?
"Scotty would survive the least. The guy doesn't know anything. I think possibly myself or Preston. I just think from loving camping and the outdoors, I've got a little bit of know-how."
Q: When's the last time you forgot something?
"Over break, I went to Nashville without my passport. I needed my passport to travel to Utah. I had to get one of my friends who was still in Knoxville and lived in Nashville to pick it up for me. That was clutch."
Q: What's it feel like getting to go on the road as a team and getting to take that next step up in competition?
"I'm very excited to go to Texas as a team. It'll be the first dual match on the road for me and two other guys. We've got a very young team. We've got nothing to lose. We just have to go out there and swing. We've got a good shot against Minnesota. Then, if we win, against Notre Dame or Texas. It's a good opportunity to see if we can go to Seattle."
Walton, from Home Hill, Australia, is one of three freshmen in the lineup for the Vols this season. He has started at No. 3 and 4 singles and at the top of the doubles lineup with Preston Touliatos.
He is 14-6 overall in singles, including 6-1 in dual matches, and a team-leading 14-3 in doubles.
He and sophomore Scott Jones are continuing a long tradition of Australian tennis players on Rocky Top. The Vols have had at least one player from Australia on the team every year since 1988.
Before leaving for Austin, Texas, Walton took some minutes to talk tennis, desert island survival and rugby:
Q: You played a lot of tournaments in the fall, but now it's the team season. What has the dual match experience been like?
"It's definitely different. Playing school tennis in Australia, I was used to the team thing, but it's just another level here. It's definitely a lot different from the individual tournaments, but we've started well as a team. Our preseason was pretty good. Me and Preston have started pretty well in doubles, and I've also started well mid-lineup in singles, so it's been good so far."
Q: What's been the biggest change in your game since getting to Knoxville in August?
"I think the biggest change from August to now is that I'm physically a lot stronger. I feel in better shape. I would say my serve has gotten stronger and definitely my volleys have improved a lot."
Q: What's it been like playing with Preston? You spent a lot of the fall together and started at the top of the lineup.
"Yeah, playing with Preston is very good. He's got a very fiery personality. That definitely helps me. Especially when I get down, he's always there to lift me up. We had a very good fall, and playing in the spring, we haven't lost yet. We're off to a good start as a pair, so that's been good."
Q: It's summer back home for you this time of year. What's the winter here been like for you?
"It's very different. The cold here is more intense here than it is in Australia. I can't wait for it to be summer again. (laughs) Playing indoors is very different. I haven't done that in my life ever. We don't need to go indoors in our winter."
Q: The Australian Open is going on right now. What's the tournament like at Melbourne Park?
"It's my first time not being in Melbourne for the Australian Open in quite some time. I always liked watching it, and I was fortunate enough to play it my last two years of juniors, which was cool. It's been very different with the time zone difference being able to watch many matches of the Australian Open, but it is what it is."
Q: What's something people need to know about your hometown?
"In my childhood, I grew up in a small town called Home Hill. That town, population of about 2,000, is a very country town. We do a lot of outdoor hobbies like fishing and water skiing Then I moved to Brisbane, and I was there the last five years of my life before coming to America. Brisbane's very different too. City lifestyle. Much more people. It's good to have a mixture of the two."
Q: You mention the outdoor activities back home. Is that something you like to do?
"I've always spent a lot of time outdoors, more so than video games. I do not know how to play 'Call of Duty' or any playstation game. I love going fishing and love the outdoors."
Q: Is there any outdoor hobby that you would like to do professionally, if it were a full-time job?
"From a young age, I played a lot of rugby, cricket and tennis. If I had my time again, I probably would have stuck with rugby. There are more professional players in the National Rugby League than there is in tennis."
Q: What team do you support?
"I go for the Canterbury Bulldogs. They're a Sydney-based team, but my father went for them from a young age. I picked early, and I haven't changed since. I've stayed loyal."
Q: Do you have any team rivalries with Scotty?
"Believe it or not, he supports the AFL, not NRL. We don't have that big of rivalries because I don't support what he supports."
Q: Have you ever collected anything?
"I'm a big coin and currency collector whenever I travel to Asia and all different parts of the world. I like to collect little small change. It's cool to look over them whenever you get a chance."
Q: Have you ever played a musical instrument?
"I played the recorder in primary school, but I'm pretty sure everyone did. Other than that? No. My music career is not my strong point."
Q: Best golfer on the team?
"Scotty. He and Preston would say they're better than each other, but I would say Scotty's better. I've seen them both play."
Q: You don't play video games, so you're a neutral observer. Who could go pro in video games?
"Andrew Rogers by far. One hundred percent him. He plays non-stop. I stayed with him over break; 24/7 video games. It is unbelievable."
Q: So you stayed with him during the holidays?
"Correct. Over this winter break, I stayed with him. We stayed at his house for a week. Then we went to Salt Lake City, Utah, and we spent a week with his family friends, which was nice as well."
Q: If the team were stranded on a desert island, who would survive for the longest?
"Scotty would survive the least. The guy doesn't know anything. I think possibly myself or Preston. I just think from loving camping and the outdoors, I've got a little bit of know-how."
Q: When's the last time you forgot something?
"Over break, I went to Nashville without my passport. I needed my passport to travel to Utah. I had to get one of my friends who was still in Knoxville and lived in Nashville to pick it up for me. That was clutch."
Q: What's it feel like getting to go on the road as a team and getting to take that next step up in competition?
"I'm very excited to go to Texas as a team. It'll be the first dual match on the road for me and two other guys. We've got a very young team. We've got nothing to lose. We just have to go out there and swing. We've got a good shot against Minnesota. Then, if we win, against Notre Dame or Texas. It's a good opportunity to see if we can go to Seattle."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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