For freshman Ayrton Wibowo, tennis has been a part of life since he was just old enough to pick up a racket. He started playing at 8 years old.
Wibowo is a native of Jakarta, Indonesia and one of the six foreign-born players on the Oregon men’s tennis team. But unlike the other players, Wibowo, a 5-foot-10, 146-pound player, has participated in one of the most prestigious tennis events in the world: the Davis Cup.
The Davis Cup began in 1900 when Harvard student Dwight Filley Davis donated the silver trophy. While only two countries participated in the first three competitions (Britain and the United States), interest began to grow, and by 1913 another six nations began competing.
Participant numbers continued to increase, with 50 countries playing by 1969, and by 1993 the Davis Cup topped 100 nations for the first time. Today there are more than 120 countries that attend regularly.
“Anytime that you can go out and represent your country, it is a great honor,” said third-year head coach Nils Schyllander.
The Davis Cup is considered one of the most influential factors in recognizing the growth of the tennis world today. The tournament format has remained unchanged over the years, providing a pathway for one of the most successful and famous competitions in sporting history.
From the very beginning, the Davis Cup has always attracted outstanding players such as Fred Perry, Rene Lacoste, Bill Tilden, Donald Budge, Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Pete Sampras.
Nowadays, standouts Rafael Nadal of Spain and Andy Roddick of the U.S. participate in the Davis Cup.
Wibowo’s parents, Suzanna and Tintus, are very experienced in the tennis world, having both played and now coached in Indonesia.
“My parents introduced me to tennis,” Wibowo said. “Both of them are tennis players.”
His father was also a Davis Cup participant when he was selected as captain of the 1992 Indonesian team. When Ayrton was asked who were some notable Davis Cup players from the past and present that he knew of, he simply responded with, “my dad.”
Wibowo participated primarily in the singles portion of the tournament, though he has played some doubles at the University. The Oregon team has been plagued with injuries throughout the year, giving Wibowo a chance to team up with several others for doubles play.
“He has had to bounce around a lot due to injuries,” Schyllander said days before Wibowo fell victim to a concussion during a practice accident one afternoon.
“That was the best experience I’ve ever had,” Wibowo said of his experience in the Davis Cup. “Not many players have an opportunity to be involved in it.”
Wibowo was 19 years old when he first participated in the event and plans on returning to the tournament this year as they take on ‘Kiwi,’ the New Zealand team in July.
The Davis Cup tournament is set up with 16 nations playing knockout format until the final in early-December. The remaining nations compete in Groups I to IV, divided across three regional zones: Europe/Africa, Americas and Asia/Oceania, and aim to win and avoid elimination. The successful nations in Group I of these regional zones join the eight World Group first-round losers in the World Group Playoffs, with the winners going on to compete in the ensuing year’s World Group and the losers returning to zonal competition.
Wibowo, as well as the Ducks’ team overall, has had an up and down season.
“I think having him has been good,” Schyllander reiterated. “He’s really adapting to the college lifestyle and has been a steady competitor.”
“I like the University,” Wibowo added. “It has been a very supportive environment both for study and for tennis.”
Similar to the rest of the team, Wibowo has participated in multiple international events, which include his most recent victory at the F1 Future Tournament last July. He and partner Christopher Rungkat – a fellow Davis Cup participant – won the doubles title, while Wibowo was named the No.-1 junior doubles player in the nation. The duo made it to the quarterfinals in doubles play at the F2 Futures tournament later that summer.
“He has very good hands,” Schyllander said. “He plays with a lot of finesse instead of just power.”
“Physically, he is tremendous with the volleys,” said sophomore Duncan MacDonald-Korth. “He has great instincts around the net.”
McDonals-Korth, who played doubles with Wibowo in last week’s matchup at USC, also commented on the fact that a lot of Wibowo’s strength comes from a mental standpoint.
“He likes to keep a low profile on the court,” MacDonald-Korth said. “Whether he’s winning or losing, he always keeps his cool.”
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