Life-Long Connections Help Devin Badenhorst Land in Waco
Baylor men’s tennis player Devin Badenhorst met his future at just nine years old, without even knowing it.
He was in the early stages of his love for sports, playing just about everything in his native country of South Africa, including tennis.
While attending the Davis Cup, an international men’s tennis team event in South Africa, he met Baylor associate head coach Izak van der Merwe, who was, at the time, a volunteer coach for the program.
“When he came to South Africa to visit me, he just watched me play a little bit when I was nine years old, and he made a joke back then, saying, ‘Yeah, I can see this kid playing for Baylor one day,’” Badenhorst said. “The connection goes deep, and it’s just a South African connection.”
Director of Operations Jacqui Haddock is also a native of South Africa, which is another link. It has paid dividends, especially this season.
Whether that was what got the ball rolling to where Badenhorst is now, it’s clear that he was meant to be a Bear.
Badenhorst, now a 6-foot-7 junior, is in his second season on the No. 1-line and is the 10th-ranked singles player in the country. The boy from Pretoria has given Baylor that extra edge in what has been a breakout season.
“It was kind of like just something that I picked up,” Badenhorst said. “My dad played when he was younger, never really played competitively, just for fun. And then, yeah, I really got into it, did a bunch of different sports, and kind of just realized how good I was at tennis, and then went with it and loved it ever since. I have a big passion for it.”
He traveled for his first international tournament at 12, competing in Canada, and that experience helped shape what Badenhorst wanted to do. He decided to cut all other sports and focus on tennis.
He then traveled to Morocco and across Europe to play tennis until he was 18, when he had to decide whether to turn pro or go to college.
Badenhorst competed in the International Tennis Federation World Tour and finished in the Top 30 in the world for his age range at 18.
“There's a big stigma behind South African tennis players; there's only a couple that have made it, and they've done really well,” Badenhorst said. “So I would say there was pressure to keep that up.”
Badenhorst’s international success expanded widely as he was the highest-ranked South African junior player in his age range. While on the circuit growing up, he won nine singles titles and six in doubles, a pair of them with current Bear and fellow South African Luc Koenig, who Badenhorst considers a life-long best friend and a part of why he landed in Waco.
“He [Koenig] said that the level is so high and you get your education at the same time, so I decided to come to college,” Badenhorst said.
Along with Koenig and the South African ties, the Christian values of Baylor also played a role in Badenhorst’s decision.
“I think when you speak to colleges and you're a high rank Junior and you want to come to America, I think a lot of coaches talk a lot about ‘this is what we have to offer’ and everything. I had a lot of talks with other coaches and other teams and stuff like that, but obviously, just the religious background for me is a big thing,” Badenhorst said. “I think the Christianity at Baylor played a big part in me coming here. Also, I just heard Texas is very similar to South Africa, just the people and everything played a big role for me.”
Picking between the two also showcases the different lifestyles between college and pro tennis. Compared to travel, personal coaches, hotels and weekly tournaments of the pros, in college, there’s the collegiate fanbase, the team aspect and the day-in, day-out grind of studying and prepping for classes.
“It's tough when you grow up being a tennis player at such an individual sport, and then you come to college where it's a team. You do everything with the team, and you kind of have to do everything for the team,” Badenhorst said. “If you go out there to play, you want to win even more for the team, not just for yourself.”
He and the Bears will kick off the NCAA Tournament in the first round, playing Tulsa (19-12) at 6 p.m. Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
“I think that plays such a big role, especially now in the NCAA Tournament, where the pressure is on to get the guys going with a big crowd like that, which is just amazing, and playing at home makes it even more special,” Badenhorst said.
Baylor (22-9) swept the Golden Hurricanes, 4-0, in their regular-season meeting back on Jan. 30.
The Bears have reached massive heights this season, not only knocking off the likes of top programs in Texas A&M and Wake Forest, but hosting the first and second rounds of the tournament for the first time since 2022.
“Every time that we get to play at home, the guys just love it. Just being able to sleep in your own bed, being able to be in the locker room with the guys and then going out to play is just so much more special,” Badenhorst said. “We have this quote that when we play at home, it's called ‘Defend the Hurd’, and it means that we don't want to lose at home and basically just play in front of all these people. Like it's amazing. And the more people that come, they always just bring more energy, and we love that. The guys feed off it so well, and we always just do really well.”
Badenhorst is 12-6 on the season in singles play and 17-8 in doubles play. He has shared doubles play with Anderson (7-2) and Bairel (6-1) as his main mates of success. Badenhorst is 4-0 in singles and doubles play in the Big 12.
Badenhorst’s role has shifted this year, as he is an upperclassman and his two main doubles teammates are both freshmen, Blake Anderson and Calvin Baierl.
“I just want to help the guys, to show them this is the standard of the program, and this is what we expect when you come to a program like Baylor, and it's such a prestigious program that you just want to do you want to do so well for the team, for the staff, or for all the effort and everything they pour into us,” Badenhorst said. “I think that's the least they deserve, for us to give it all.”
Being on the No.1-line has seen Badenhorst face some of the best competition in the country.
“You play the best guys in the country, week-in, week-out. And it's not as easy, because you want to win so badly for the team,” Badenhorst said. “And you don't always get on top when you play these guys. Some guys are going pro, like, a guy who played for Virginia last year, he’s now top 20 in the world.”
Badenhorst wants to compete at the highest level of playing professional tennis. But just as important to him is giving back to the country that he holds so much pride in.
“Some kids don't have the opportunity to compete for tournaments, to play internationally, to be able to travel and give themselves a shot at that,” Badenhorst said. “So that's kind of one of the reasons why I do what I do, is to one day — if I'm good enough — to give back to the kids that don't have the opportunity to do it, and also just to represent my country.”
He has pride in competing for his country, and knowing that not many from South Africa get the chance to reach the heights that he has, he plays for them.
“I'm blessed to be in the position that I am, and privileged to have reached the heights that I have in the sport,” Badenhorst said.
