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Category: ITF Men’s Circuit

  • A Tt Interview with El Jefe of Cancha, Jack Oswald

    Tt: When did you start playing tennis and who got you into the game?

      Jack Oswald: I started playing tennis when I was about five years old, first in the UK. My dad got me into tennis. He was big into tennis, both watching and he played a little bit as well. All of my family played a little bit of tennis at one point for a little while, but I was the one that really stuck at it.

      My parents moved to the US when I was five years old, and I really got into it there. There were so many more courts, so many more players around. The weather was better for tennis, to be honest, and I just really got into it. However, it was around about 10 or 11 years old that I became obsessed with tennis, and I really wanted to make it pro. It became basically my mission in life for the next 15 years, I think.

      Tt: I was going to ask you Why Bags but instead I’m going to tell you what I think—pretty much all tennis bags suck, even though I’m sure you already know that. First, most tennis bags are made poorly. When it comes to style it’s whatever makes the logo the biggest wins. It’s one area where golf beats tennis hands down. A golfer can buy a golf bag that’s designed to be carried by the player, carried by a caddie, put on the back of a golf cart or the kind of golf cart you push or pull. I cannot figure out why tennis bags are so bad. Help me out here, Jack!

      Jack Oswald: I know, I feel the same way. I saw so much innovation in the bag space in so many different industries, like the outdoors space and golf, which is probably the closest thing to tennis. I believed there could be something better we could be doing here.

      Also, as I was traveling as a pro tennis player, I felt firsthand, or came across firsthand, the issues of traveling with tennis rackets from country to country on planes, on trains, buses, from hotel room to hotel room. I wanted something that could be better, really, for myself. It was quite a selfish thing to begin with, and I became more aware as it went along that the industry, the tennis industry specifically, needed some innovation.

      I have felt like this for a while with tennis that some of the areas of tennis are quite antiquated, and it’s caught up a little bit, I think, over the last few years. Especially when I was playing seriously, the tennis world was quite antiquated and the way it was set up really needed some innovation.

      Tennis bags were something that I had an experience firsthand with, more from the usability side of things, from using bags. I really wanted to first of all make it easy for myself and then for everyone else, honestly, to travel with tennis rackets and to make it easy for people to play tennis on it during their daily routine, on a daily basis, whether that’s from work travel and anything like that.

      I also wanted to make things that really were suited to the player and the person in their daily routine and not just, like you said, big logos and bright colors and things that really have no performance or practical impact.

      Tt: What did playing professional tennis teach you about what a traveling tennis player needs to have, right at hand?

      Jack Oswald: Honestly, it was the constant traveling as a professional tennis player that really taught me a lot about what could be made easier for people when they are traveling for tennis. I mean, I came across it first hand and had a lot of experiences carrying gear around.

      The most tiring part of the whole process of being a tennis player was traveling. I really felt, by making it easier for myself, I could eventually make it easier for others. If there were an easier way to travel as a tennis player, I believed that could affect everybody, not just professional players but people who are trying to fit tennis into their daily routine.

      My goal was to make a difference there and, in some way, help people be more active and carry their passions with them. Yeah, I think it was the constant going from place to place that really helped me understand how traveling for tennis could be made easier with the right gear.

      Tt: How long did Cancha’s prototyping stage last? Did you evaluate all of the photos or did you reach out to other tennis players?

      Jack Oswald: Honestly, too long. I started designing the bags in 2018, knowing nothing about soft goods design, product design in general. I really went into the deep end, but we didn’t know much about it. I spent a lot of time traveling to trade shows, speaking to designers, taking samples with me to employment tournament from 2018 until 2020, even 2021. It was a long time, three or four years of design and no sales coming in, which was difficult because I didn’t have much money to play with to do this.

      We ended up doing a Kickstarter campaign and raising some money to begin with from friends and family that really helped me to get things off the ground. It was a huge learning experience. I learned so much about product design and the soft goods world, making bags, and also the practicality of traveling with bags and what you actually needed.

      I went through many, many prototypes. Many of them broke on me during my travels, which was really frustrating at the time. There’s nothing worse than a bag breaking on you when you’re mid-trip, but it was a really humbling experience. It was a really enlightening experience. I learned a tremendous amount, and I still have all those prototypes saved. They remind me of how far we’ve come.

      Tt: What about materials? How many did you have to evaluate before you settled on the final Cancha material?

      Jack Oswald: To be honest, materials are an ongoing thing. We’re constantly refining materials. It’s something that never really ends. We have gone through many different versions of the materials we’re using. A bag has over a hundred components, so we’re constantly evaluating and looking at new innovations in the material space. I think there’s a whole lot more we can be doing there as well.

      It was really through testing and seeing what was out there and all the different changes that were going on in the space, and seeing what worked for us and retesting it out that helped us arrive at a starting point. From there on, we’re just constantly evolving.

      Our bags have new materials all the time. Sometimes people don’t notice them because it’s been a slight improvement that is just a quality of life improvement, and other times it’s a big change that people really notice. I think it makes all the difference. I think that constant drive to improve our products, existing products as well as new products, has helped us a lot over the years.

      Tt: I’m lucky enough to have both the Cancha Racket Bag Pro and the Original Cancha Tennis Bag. I love them both but if I could wish for one thing it would be more and bigger zippered pockets. Do you feel my pain or am I crazy?

      Jack Oswald: I agree, and feedback is a thing that we take extremely seriously. I’m constantly hearing from people about what they love about the bag, but also what they don’t love about the bag they’re using. One thing is we can’t please everybody, and you have to pick a side on some things and what we feel is best. I agree there’s certainly improvements that can be made, and we’re constantly making those improvements.

      We get feedback all the time, like I said, from customers, and we take it seriously. I am constantly working with my team on new improvements, new designs, constantly traveling to visit our manufacturing partners and material suppliers. It’s an ongoing, never-ending process; that’s what’s so great about it.

      I think if you look at where we’ve come from there until now, I think there’s been a huge amount of improvement. I appreciate your feedback because that it’s something that we can certainly do better, and I think that’s what this is all about

      Tt: Every time I drop by the Cancha website I see another cool product that I need, Need, NEED. If we hit the Fast Forward button forward to 2030 will Cancha still be a tennis brand, a lifestyle brand, or both?

      Jack Oswald: That’s interesting. I wouldn’t even necessarily consider ourselves a tennis brand specifically. I think that we have a really cool niche in the tennis space, but people who play racket sports of all kinds buy our bags, and people who don’t as well buy our bags. Everyday carry bags are part of our line-up now, and we’re constantly building out because we want to be part of people’s daily routine, helping them be active in all areas. I think my experience as a tennis player, as a traveling tennis player, has helped us really innovate in that space, but I think there’s a lot more we can do.

      I want us to be both. I think we can talk in a very niche way to tennis players and meet their needs, but I think we can also be something for other people as well. I really appreciate what you say about the new products and the innovation. I think that that really means a lot to me because I’m trying my absolute best as a founder of a very young company to come up with things that I really feel proud about.

      I don’t go into product categories or even product lines without feeling like I can really make a difference in the space. I have a lot of ideas for things that we can be doing. Sometimes I have more ideas than resources to do them, which is probably a good thing; it keeps me focused. I can’t say exactly where we’ll be, but I think there’s a whole lot of cool stuff in the pipeline that I’m just so excited to share.

      Tt: Thank you, Jack, for taking the time and for being a good friend to tennis players everywhere.

    1. The Charles Broom Interview

      Charles Broom at the Calabasas Pro Tennis Championships in 2024

      Charles Broom

      Back to the pro event at Calabasas. Whatever drop off there might have been respective to the ability of the players at Indian Wells versus those who played at Calabasas the ease of attending and the ability to get really up close more than made up for it. If it doesn’t quite come across on television rest assured that tennis is a stunningly athletic game. Players reach, sprint, strike, leap all while making the endless series of adjustments that I’ve come to learn are the very essence of tennis. I readily admit to being quick to align myself with one player over another. This happened again and again at Calabasas. A player whines about being impeded by a line judge (he wasn’t) and he becomes public enemy number one as did another player with an unfortunate tendency to slam his racket against the fence when a point didn’t go his way.  I was in luck. UK-based Charles Broom was among the higher ranked players and one of his early matches was scheduled to start mere minutes after my arrival.

      Watching Broom’s superb all-court play I immediately began to wonder about the life of a professional tennis player. I didn’t wonder as much about the life of a teaching tennis professional or a high-level amateur. No, I wondered about the mindset and life of a playing professional. I decided I’d try to interview just such a player for this book.  And, none other than Charles Broom was gracious enough to accept my invitation to answer some questions, so here they are:

      PC: Who got you started in tennis and how old were you when you first picked up a racket?

      Charles Broom: I’m very fortunate in that I live very close to a local tennis club. From as early as 2 years old, I would go over to the club with my mum who would throw me balls to hit. As I got older, I learned to hit against the wall that was there on my own – trying to get the longest rally I could. I then started getting more serious lessons at around 5 years old and played my first tournament at 7. So you could say I started quite early. 

      PC: How long did it take for tennis to evolve from a game you played into the only sport you played?

      Charles Broom: My parents don’t come from a tennis background, but certainly a sporty one. They made a very strong effort for me to try all different types of sport, ranging from swimming to gymnastics. From around 7 to 11 years old my main two sports became tennis and football (soccer), but as I was starting to progress in tennis by having some good results in national under 10 tournaments, it came to the point where I had to choose one over the other. 

      PC: You played your college tennis at Dartmouth and Baylor. What made you choose Dartmouth and how long did it take you to decide that playing as a professional might be in your future?

      Charles Broom: I went to a very academic school in the UK and from 15-18 years old I was only training 8 hours a week to stay on top of my school work. I also wasn’t that highly ranked internationally as a junior, so I wasn’t getting any offers from ‘top 25’ tennis schools. I wanted to go down the academic route, so going to an Ivy league school became my top option. I went on visits to Dartmouth and Harvard, but ultimately decided on Dartmouth based on the quality of the campus, coaches and how well I got on with the team. I loved my time there. As well as making some life long friends, I felt I had made big improvements in my game, so I wanted to try playing some professional tournaments in the summer. I lost in qualifying a few times before finally making it through to my first main draw of a 15k in America. I managed to win in 3 sets and got my first ATP point. I always had the dream to play tennis professionally, but once I got my first ATP point, that cemented the fact I at least wanted to try after college and see how far I could get to. 

      PC: Speaking of your college days, could you have picked a more difficult major than Biological Chemistry? What was it like balancing study with what must have been a very full slate of tennis?

      Charles Broom: I certainly didn’t make life easy for myself. I had studied Biology, Chemistry and Maths in my last year of school in the UK, so I wanted to continue down that route as I felt it was what I was best at. It wasn’t easy to balance tennis and studying. There were lots of labs that often would be 3, 4 or 5 hours sometimes, I’d have to do school work in the hotel lobbies when we played teams away from home, and generally I wouldn’t be getting more than 6 or 7 hours sleep most nights. I don’t regret it though as it taught me valuable lessons in time management, organization, discipline and sacrifice. Not only that, but it’s rare in tennis that you feel your best every single day you go out to play a match. To have played some of my best tennis while being tired or slightly ill gives me confidence as, when I am out on tour, I have a wealth of experience to fall back on in how to deal with those types of situations. 

      PC: Was it a big decision to turn professional or had it always been a part of your plan?

      Charles Broom: It required some discussion with my parents and the coaches I was working with at Baylor for my master’s degree, as I still had to finish some classes once my tennis eligibility had expired. I would say the decision to play professionally had already been made, but the logistics of where I was going to train, who would I have as a coach, how would I support myself financially, these were all very important issues that needed to be ironed out. 

      PC: With your ranking right around 300 in singles, did you have any thoughts when you watched Luca Nardi (then ranked 123) when he defeated Novak Djokovic back in early March?

      Charles Broom: I did watch some of the match, and funnily enough I was at the same tournament as him at the end of 2023 sitting next to each other in the locker room. It’s certainly a surprise when Novak loses to someone lower ranked purely based on how dominant he has been over the last decade. With that being said, the reality of professional tennis is that the level difference between someone 150 and 50 in the world, as an example, is much narrower than some people might think. I’ve now started to play in some higher level Challenger tournaments and played against the likes of David Goffin. At the end of the day, they’re all just tennis players that have to hit the ball back and forth over the net, the same as I do. And on any given day they might be struggling to do that for whatever reason, just as a professional golfer might wake up and something feels a bit different in their golf swing. It’s not to say they are any worse at golf, but you just feel better on some days than others — that’s life. How you deal with that, in my opinion, is what separates someone ranked 150 and 50. 

      PC: As a follow up, what differences do you see when you see players ranked, say, inside the top 25 as opposed to the top 200? I would have to guess the differences look very slight, but what do you see?

      Charles Broom: For sure there are small differences in how hard the top guys hit the ball, or the quality of certain shots, but the more impressive thing is how consistent they are. They all have different game styles, but the vast majority are centered around being disciplined and not making unforced errors. I’ve had the fortune of practicing with Sir Andy Murray a few times. What stands out to me the most is how consistent he is with his ball striking and intensity. It’s not to say he never misses or even that he hits the ball considerably harder than I do, but it just feels relentless from the other side of the net. The other difference is in the mentality of those top players. To be so consistent week to week in their performances is remarkable. 

      PC: The concept of consistency seems simple until I really start to think about it. Club players like to say they want to be more consistent but it always seems like what they really want is just a higher ability level. When it comes to professionals like you and Andy Murray consistency means so much more because of the staggeringly high level of your play. I know this doesn’t read like much of a question but would you like to say a bit about the areas of your own game you wish were more consistent?

      Charles Broom: Certainly the basic principle of being consistent is the same for me, Andy or a club player where you have to get the ball over the net and in between the lines more than your opponent. My goals that are related to consistency are around the quality of shot I hit, whether that be a serve or groundstroke, as I want to put as much pressure on my opponent without risking making an unforced error. I would also say the serve is the most important shot in the game, so having a consistent serve is vital to go to the next level. 

      PC: What is your current setup, including racket brand, model, string, string tension and racket weight, if you know it?

      Charles Broom: I use a Wilson Blade 18×20 racket that I have weighted to 332g and 327g in swing weight. I use Alu Power 1.30mm and Wilson Revolve spin strings which are strung at around 53 lbs. That varies based on the conditions we play in week to week.

      PC: We’re having our conversation during the third week of May in 2024. As the clay season approaches its peak, what are your goals for the rest of the year?

      Charles Broom: My immediate goal is to try and play in Wimbledon this year. I feel I have a strong chance at playing in at least the qualifying event, but it has always been a dream of mine to play in the main draw. My other goal is to be ranked inside the top 235 by the end of the year to give myself a chance at playing in the Australian open qualifying. I believe I am at the level of competing consistently in Challenger and Grand Slam qualifying events, but it certainly won’t be easy to get there.

      PC: Finally, thank you, Charlie, for the thoughtfulness of your responses. I truly appreciate your time and look forward to continuing to follow your career for the remainder of 2024 and beyond.

      Charles Broom: You’re very welcome. Thank you Paul. 

      PC: In closing I want to offer a few more words about Charlie. When I first thought to interview him I only knew him by his name, world ranking and a few visual elements of his game, witnesses first hand. But, after I did a little research I came to see him as an even more complete person and I’m glad that I made that effort. Charlie got his B.S. in Biological Chemistry from Dartmouth. Then, during his final year of college eligibility he completed his Masters in Sports Pedagogy from Baylor University. When I realized all that Charlie had accomplished as a player and as a student, I came to respect him even more. 

      And, he reminded me of a figure from golf. Sorry; I know…again. 

      Here I am thinking of Bobby Jones. I made the connection in the back of my mind before I thought about it formally. Jones got his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1922, while playing for the varsity golf team. He then earned an A.B. in English Literature from Harvard College in 1924. Eventually, he became a lawyer after attending Emory University School of Law. During this time, and after, and until his retirement at the age of 28, Jones was the greatest golfer in the world, either amateur or professional. We are not likely to see another player, in any sport, accomplish what Jones accomplished before he reached his 30th year. Let us not forget the fact that Jones was the only sportsmen to ever receive two ticker-tape parades in New York.

      We live in the era of acceleration. Kids want to graduate with a 4.0+ so they can avoid the drudgery of four full years of college. Little do they know that they will be called upon to work for a living once they’re done with that thing they were so hell-bent to shorten. We live in the era when developing athletes compare their ability, at any age, to the exact number of dollars that might be gained from a contract with Nike. And, I see nothing inherently wrong with any of this. Still, at my age and having seen what I have seen in my 60 years on this planet, I have come to respect something different, perhaps, than the average person might. I am thinking here of one the rarest qualities of our contemporary world; that of the renaissance man. 

      I’m not trying to lay heavy expectations on Charlie Broom that are more challenging than anything that’s come before in his quarter of a century of life. I simply respect his degrees and the discipline they required as much as I do his game. Each is impressive to me and I have the very slightest idea of what it took to attain them. I do not need to wish Charlie Broom good luck when it comes to tennis or chemistry. He has done his very best to take ordinary luck out of the equation. And that, I think, will always be his greatest accomplishment.

      Here’s a brief update on Charlie Broom.

      From The Guardian, July 1 2024:

      “Broom lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 against Stan Wawrinka, the former world No 3. He had secured a wild card with a fine run of form on the Challenger circuit and started the match as only a marginal underdog with the bookmakers, despite the 153-run gap in the ratings ladder to his Swiss opponent.”

      So, Charles Broom succeeded in one of his stated goals and made it to Wimbledon this year.

      Well done, Charlie!

      Tt