Northwestern University Athletics
A Lock on Our Hearts
4/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 15, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--When Santiago (Willy) Lock left Peru, he was one of the top-ranked players in his country. Less than one year later, as a freshman at Northwestern, he's taking Big Ten tennis by storm and quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Lock began playing tennis at the age of six--not because of family ties to the sport, but rather out of convenience.
"My parents wanted me to play any sport at all, and there was a tennis court near my house," says Lock. "They took me (to the court) and said to have fun. Little by little I started liking it more."
As Lock began to improve, he found fewer and fewer people to give him a challenge. That can be attributed to the fact that while many people play tennis in Peru, they tend to play more for recreation. According to Lock, his opponents were not that competitive.
To find tougher competition, Lock did not just travel around the country-he traveled around the whole continent. One of his best tennis memories was when he came in second place in the age-12 Division at the South American Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
"I played five singles matches and I won four," recalls Lock. "I played so well, and all of my matches were so close."
Lock's international play has not just been limited to the South American Championships, as he has had the honor of playing for Peru at the Davis Cup. He was on the squad three times and got to play twice, against Canada and the Bahamas.
"It was a wonderful experience," says Lock. "The pressures are so different. You have the pressure of the country on your shoulders. Everybody watches (Davis Cup), and they expect you to do well."
Lock was one of the younger players on his Davis Cup team, but to him that was just a bonus. He got to play on the same team as Luis Horna, the best player from Peru and currently the 56th-ranked player in the world.
"It's good to be the youngest--you get to practice with really good tennis players," states Lock. "Hitting with them really motivates you to play better."
In his youth, Lock looked up to 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras as an idol in the tennis world: "Growing up, I always rooted for Sampras--even against Andre Agassi," he says. Despite his affinity for Sampras, Lock is the first to admit that their two games are almost polar opposites.
"I'm a clay-courter, and I know Sampras hardly ever won on clay," says Lock, who plays better on clay because of his range on the court and his solid ground strokes, which are better suited for the slower surface.
While clay courts are common in Peru, Northwestern's team does not play on any during the season. Because hard courts are much faster than clay, it took a lot for him to get used to it. Lock remembers playing poorly at first while he was adjusting to the hard courts, losing badly to a teammate.
After Lock settled in some more, the crowds started following his play. In a late-January match against Pepperdine, he helped use the energy of the crowd to fuel a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback victory.
"A bunch of people cheered me on, and it helped me a lot," recalls Lock. "(The fans) don't just help me, but the whole team as well. They cheer you and motivate you. You never want to give up."
Not that the crowds are anything new to Lock. He says that the crowds gravitated toward him in Peru as well. His style of play gets people excited as he hustles around the court, getting to every ball and hitting them back in. He may not have the powerful serve-and-volley style of a Sampras, but his quickness is fun to watch, and the crowds love every minute of his play.
Despite his individual stardom, Lock enjoys playing as part of a team the most. He also is happy that he has been able to contribute to the team in his first year, playing mostly the No. 4 singles spot in the lineup.
"Playing tennis for a team is a different feeling," says Lock. "I love playing for a team. Northwestern has a great bunch of guys on the team, and I love being a part of it."
Lock traveled 3,788 miles from Lima to Evanston. He brought with him Davis Cup experience and an exciting brand of tennis. He also brought a passion for the game, as well as a drive to get better.
All that, plus he has fun. It is easy to see why fans flock to Willy.
