Alabama
Four-in-the-Fall (Kentucky, LSU, Vanderbilt)
Alabama Men’s Tennis’ Vincent Rettke is Back Home, Playing for the Crimson Tide
11/5/2020 3:11:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The graduate transfer returned to his home state after playing at Gonzaga the last four years
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The question came up recently among Crimson Tide tennis players, "What was the first thing you had with Alabama on it?"
The responses were fairly predictable, t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, a Big Al figure. Predictable that is until you got to Vincent Rettke.
"I was kind of racking my brain about what it was, a t-shirt, hat, something like that," Rettke said. "Then it hit me … birth certificate."
The graduate transfer who joined the Crimson Tide this fall after spending four years at Gonzaga grew up north of Tuscaloosa, outside Huntsville in Madison, Ala. It's where his father, a life-long tennis enthusiast, taught him the game and where he rose up the ranks in junior tennis.
"I definitely did not start out on the top," Rettke said with a laugh. "I was nine years old, I think, when I played in my first tournament. I remember looking at the ranking list and being in the hundreds, but I always just wanted to keep moving up."
The Bob Jones High School graduate worked hard throughout the years and moved up the rankings. He was twice named the USTA Junior Player of the Year for Alabama and was also the AL.com Boy's Tennis Player of the Year.
"I met a lot of people along the way in junior tennis, and it seems like if somebody plays tennis in Alabama I know them," Rettke said. "It's pretty cool. I have tennis buds all over the state, so it was a really good experience."
When it came time to pick a college, Rettke went cross country to Gonzaga, located in Spokane, Wash., and while he enjoyed the experience, the differences were readily apparent.
"I always talked to my friends about how much I missed the weather down here, I missed the heat," Rettke said. "I also missed the whole southern vibe in general, I grew up in that environment and I like that a lot. I missed country music some and hearing the y'all and all that from the south."
When COVID-19 gave him the chance to compete another year, he had a decision to make. Graduate school was on the horizon, but what about tennis. He thought about switching to recreational tennis, but then decided on the graduate transfer route and signed up to play his final year of collegiate tennis for the Crimson Tide while pursuing his master's degree. Coming back to the south to play made some distinct differences from his first four years in the collegiate game evident.
"We're playing more outdoor tennis and I enjoy that a lot," Rettke said. "Because of the weather, all of our home matches at Gonzaga were indoors. Plus, I think I've been improving a lot this fall. I've added a lot of tools and weapons, and I think I'm playing a lot smarter than I did in the past."
After earning a bachelor's degree in computer science from Gonzaga, Rettke is now working on a master's in marketing, with a concentration in digital and social media. After that, he's not sure what's next.
"I may look for a computer science job in the area, play some professional tennis, or start a business," Rettke said. "Or maybe something else, I'm not sure at this point."
While the next step isn't set in stone, Rettke does know what is up next. After playing two of its three fall tournaments on the road, Alabama hosts its annual Four-In-The-Fall tourney this weekend against players from LSU and Vanderbilt, playing singles and doubles draws of the three-day event. His first match playing in an Alabama uniform won't be the first time he's played matches at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
"When I was really young, I think I was nine, I went to a tennis camp here," he said. "There's actually a video of me on YouTube playing tennis on one of the courts here."
And while it won't be his first time to play on the Alabama campus, it will be the first time Rettke has played collegiate tennis in the state where he was born.
"My parents are definitely going to be able to come to more matches now," Rettke said. "I grew up learning tennis from my dad, and he's very passionate and happy to finally get to watch me play a lot of college tennis. My mom is always nervous watching me play, she usually hides in the car, but she's glad I'm closer to home now, too."
The Four-In-The-Fall runs Nov. 6-8, with Friday's and Saturday's matches getting underway at 12 p.m. and Sunday's starting at 10 a.m. Due to health and safety considerations in addition to the current guidelines, attendance at Alabama tennis home competitions is limited to guests of student-athletes and each team's coaching staff if the matches are played outdoors. If matches are played indoors, there will be no spectators allowed.
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