Eliot Spizzirri felt completely empty. The dream that he and his University of Texas teammates had poured their hearts and souls into — winning a national championship — was dashed by their in-state rivals, TCU, in a narrow 4-3 battle last May. Spizzirri knew there would not be another chance to capture that elusive title.
It was a painful defeat, but nearly a year later, and the 23-year-old recognises that moment as a profound shift in perspective. Often, the toughest lessons in life teach us the most, and Spizzirri’s pivotal moment came at a crucial time, just before launching his pro career.
Spizzirri recalls a lightbulb moment a week after the heartbreaking loss. Sharing a laugh with friends while golfing helped him see beyond forehands and backhands, wins and losses.
“It was like, ‘Wow, I’m still a happy guy. Yeah, I lost a national championship and that’s what I wanted so bad… My results in tennis, of course I care about them and they’re important, but at the same time, it’s not everything’,” Spizzirri told ATPTour.com at last week’s Phoenix Challenger.
“I think maybe before having such a crushing moment or maybe even a defining moment, I was sort of too intense or taking things too seriously and now I just try to enjoy it and make sure that I don’t judge myself based on my tennis results. I feel like I’m more than someone that just plays tennis and can have a bigger impact down the road.”
Since finishing a standout collegiate career for the Texas Longhorns, the American has surged from No. 738 to a career-high No. 134 in the PIF ATP Rankings in just 10 months.
Spizzirri, who finished back-to-back seasons as the No. 1 player in the ITA singles rankings, will next make his ATP Masters 1000 debut as a wild card at the Miami Open presented by Itau. It is another milestone moment in what has been a whirlwind 12 months.
“I feel like I’ve learned more about myself in the past 12 months than in my previous entire tennis career,” Spizzirri said. “There’s been a lot of crazy times in the past 12 months, but to sum it up, I’ve learned a lot.
“And in another way, I’ve enjoyed it a lot. It goes hand in hand, if you’re enjoying the week to week journey and not focussed as much on the results, just enjoy playing pro tennis and living out my dream, then good things will happen.”
The sting of the national championship loss to TCU still lingers, but it ultimately reshaped Spizzirri’s outlook on the game.
“I have come to terms with winning and losing is not everything,” said Spizzirri. “I would have preferred to learn it at a different time, maybe at a time when losing was something that just I had to handle, not a group of 14 of my best friends and coaches that I’ve been working with for four and a half years and care about deeply.
“But I think moments like that in life, big moments, big challenges can steer you in two ways, either learn from it or dwell on it and I choose to learn from those opportunities.”
The difficult lesson has already paid dividends this season. In January, Spizzirri was on the brink of winning his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Cleveland, but let slip a championship point to Colton Smith, a senior at the University of Arizona.
Exactly a month later, Spizzirri relished his milestone moment, capturing his maiden Challenger title at the San Diego Open. Sitting courtside was a mix of Spizzirri’s supporters, teammates and friends, including Topper Guild, a YouTuber who boasts nearly 60 million subscribers. Guild drove from Los Angeles to watch Spizzirri.
“He’s my godmother’s stepson, he kind of feels like a cousin,” Spizzirri said. “He inspires me and I hope that I inspire him in different ways. It’s fun to see each other grow in different realms. I’m just so happy for a guy like him to have the success he’s had. He’s someone that works as hard as I’ve seen and deserves everything that comes his way.”
Spizzirri is not the only one in his family celebrating recent victories. His twin brother, Nicholas Spizzirri, played a key role in helping the University of Pennsylvania defend their squash national championship this month.
While Nicholas continues to shine in the world of college squash and has aspirations of making the 2028 Olympics team, Eliot has been making strides of his own.
“I just feel like in general, since May I feel like I’ve learned a lot just being a pro and what it takes from week to week. I’ve learned a lot about myself, about my identity as a player, what I feel like helps me perform at my best level,” said the Greenwich, Connecticut native. “But above all, it’s been really enjoyable and fun.”
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