University of Richmond Athletics
Throwback Thursday: Catching Up With Ethan Dunbar
06/03/2016 | Men's Tennis, #ThrowbackThursday
Ethan Dunbar graduated from Richmond in last May as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Spiders' men's tennis history. He ranks in the top-three all-time in singles victories and was a four-time All-Atlantic 10 first team selection.
His younger brother, Jacob, joined him on campus for Ethan's final two years as the duo played doubles together and were fixtures at the top two spots in the Spiders' singles lineup.
Ethan is now playing professionally in North America, but he took time to catch up with RichmondSpiders.com for our ThrowBack Thursday feature.
RichmondSpiders.com: Catch us up, what are you up to these days?
Ethan: I have been playing professionally for the past year and I have been playing mostly in the U.S. and Canada. I am around 1,500 in the world at the moment. I was playing on average two tournaments a month with travel and training taking up most of my other time. Currently I am transitioning out of tennis and into a position as an investment analyst at Revisor.
RichmondSpiders.com: What's the biggest challenge about playing professionally?
Ethan: The biggest challenge about playing professionally for someone starting out is the expense. Unlike other sports where you are drafted by a team that covers your expenses and pays you, tennis requires you to be responsible for your own costs. Unless you are one of the top guys making it into main draws of the biggest tournaments your prize money usually doesn't cover your expenses so you have to rely on other sources to pay for your travel, training, coaching, etc… Because of this difficulty I played mostly in the U.S. to cut down on travel expenses. This unfortunately happens to be one of the strongest areas to play in and makes it difficult for someone starting out at this level to work their way into the bigger tournaments.
RichmondSpiders.com: What's the best part about playing professionally?
Ethan: The best part for me was the sense of accomplishment when I had a good tournament. Being responsible for much of my own expenses made it feel that much better when I had success.
RichmondSpiders.com: You come from a tennis family, has having your mom, who played professionally for a while, help you out with the daily process of trying to make it?
Ethan: Yes, my mom was a huge help in the process of playing professionally. She was one of the few people who understood exactly what I was going through and could help me work through some of the challenges I faced. She was a big inspiration for me as well. I always wanted to play professional tennis because I look up to her and respected her for what she was able to achieve in the sport. At this point I have an even greater respect for what she was able to achieve because I have gone through it myself and I know just how hard it is to be one of those special people who is able to reach the very top of the sport.
RichmondSpiders.com: Outside of tennis, what are you up to?
Ethan: While I was playing tennis I was not up to much else. Tennis pretty much ate up my entire day and when I did have spare time after matches or training sessions I was usually too tired to want to do anything else. That being said most of my spare time was spent with my family. Travelling so much for tennis made me appreciate the time I did have with them and I'm looking forward to having more time with them now that I am transitioning out of professional tennis.
RichmondSpiders.com: You had quite a career here, what do you remember the most about your time here at Richmond?
Ethan: Most of my memories center around tennis and the times I was able to spend with my teammates as well as a few of my really close friends that I am lucky enough to have. The support of my teammates and my friends was always really important in my pursuit of professional tennis and I couldn't have done it without them. I also remember the great deal of time that Ben (Coach Johnson) spent with me. He was a great mentor to me not only on the court but also off the court. I remember many hours talking to him on van rides when everyone else was asleep in the back or coming into his office and talking to him for hours about everything we could think of. He is one of my best friends and will be for the rest of my life.
RichmondSpiders.com: What do you miss the most now that you've been out for a year?
Ethan: I miss the times spent with my teammates. I was lucky enough to have the greatest team I could ask for. I actually did have a biological brother on the team but they are all brothers to me. The times I spent with them are times I will never forget and I feel lucky that I got to spend that time with them. I am still really close with all of them and luckily when I have gone back to visit them or watch them play I don't feel like I have graduated at all, it's just the same as always.
RichmondSpiders.com: What was it like playing with your brother? Looking back on it, does it mean a little more to you now that you've been out for a year?
Ethan: Playing with my brother was awesome. Jacob is my brother and my best friend. We have been right next to each other since the day he was born. We have shared a room at home as long as he has been alive even though we have a spare room that one of us could take, we practice together, we eat together, watch TV together, and pretty much anything else you can think of. That was never going to change when we went to college and when I found out that Jacob was going to be able to graduate high school early and come to Richmond with me it was one of the happiest moments of my life. Playing with him/next to him and being able to not only call him my brother but my best friend makes me feel like the luckiest guy alive.
RichmondSpiders.com: If you were talking to a recruit, what would you tell them about your time here?
Ethan: I would tell a recruit that my time at Richmond was really special and the coaching staff and the team that you are becoming a part of is something really special that goes beyond tennis.
RichmondSpiders.com: To you, what makes being a Spider special?
Ethan: Maybe this is just because it seems like my entire family has or will go to U of R but being a Spider is special because it feels like you are joining a big family of people that care about you and want you to succeed. I don't believe that is something that other people can say about where they went to school and that is what makes being a Spider special.
Players Mentioned
