In the sweltering heat of Ojai last weekend, a pair of young men
capped off a journey that began in the skiing paradise of the
French Alps six years ago.
Sophomores Mathieu Dehaine and Jeremy Drean agree they
couldn’t have done it without each other.
The two French tennis players have been friends since they met
at a singles tournament in Annecy, France, as 13-year-olds. They
began playing together as a doubles team when they were 14.
And after playing different roles on the UCLA men’s tennis
team in their first year and a half in Westwood, the two were
paired at No. 3 doubles for the start of Pac-10 play and have
enjoyed great success.
“At first they kept to each other a bit,” junior
Chris Surapol said. “But even last year they acclimated and
have now become a huge part of the team.”
Many students who grow up in Southern California end up being
roommates at UCLA. But when two friends lived in the suburbs of
Paris, their chances of sharing a room in Westwood are rare.
Dehaine and Drean were only 17 years old when they made the
journey to Los Angeles. Except for visits a few months earlier,
everything was new to them and communication was not easy.
“When (Dehaine) first moved here he could not speak
English,” Surapol said. “He would just nod and smile at
everything, but I don’t think he knew what I was
saying.”
Members of the French National Team since age 14, Dehaine and
Drean both started playing tennis at the age of 5. But no coach,
sponsor or parent forced them to move to the United States.
“The French Tennis Federation wanted us to turn
pro,” Drean explained. “But we were both pretty good
students, and our priority was to get a degree, then
tennis.”
Vincent Dehaine, Mathieu Dehaine’s father, said,
“American universities offer the opportunity to achieve
tennis and academic excellence. We also wanted him to keep
studying.”
After graduating a year early from the Institut National des
Sports et de l’Education Physique, the most prestigious
sports prep academy in France, Drean and Dehaine sent e-mails to
different universities around the U.S., including UCLA.
“To be honest, I had never heard of them until that
e-mail,” UCLA men’s tennis coach Billy Martin said.
“But their junior records spoke for themselves. They came to
visit us, and apparently we did a good job, much to our
happiness.”
But despite being doubles champions the year prior to joining
UCLA, Drean and Dehaine did not play for the Bruins as a pair from
the start.
“At first I thought I would start them, but I guess
playing with the same person for a long time had made them lack
energy and become stale together,” Martin said.
The two have now been playing at the No. 3 spot for the past
seven matches and became Pac-10 doubles champions this past Sunday
after fellow Bruin Ben Kohlloeffel fell ill and couldn’t take
the court with doubles partner Philipp Gruendler, forfeiting the
finals.
“I switched them sides, and now it is great to see them
play together,” Martin said. “Their mutual respect and
countryman type of thing is maybe the greatest thing to see out
there on the court.”
Both are in their second year as business economics students and
have found comfort in Westwood. Their improved English has allowed
them to record stellar grades. But they still miss the proximity of
things in Paris, compared to the sprawling lifestyle of Los
Angeles, and have realized even training sessions can be different
on this side of the Atlantic.
“In Europe we run a lot more and work a lot on endurance.
Here there is more focus on doing weights and developing
muscles.” Dehaine said.
Now well-integrated and living with other UCLA tennis players,
Drean and Dehaine have become part of the core.
Roommates for the past four years, they know each other’s
characteristics by heart. And although both have unique
personalities, they have clicked as a pair on the court.
“Despite being very different, I think they complement
each other all the time,” Martin said.
Both have younger siblings at home, and Drean and Dehaine do
miss parts of their former lifestyle. But by coming to UCLA as a
tandem, they brought some of their old lifestyle with them.
“We were glad they went together at first ““ they
were both very young,” said Isabelle Evennou, Drean’s
mother. “But (Drean) has always been a social person and
finds at UCLA a rich and eye-opening experience that he
enjoys.”
Enrolling at UCLA has not only allowed the pair to improve their
tennis skills, it has changed them as people.
“I think that studying at UCLA has brought him a different
perspective on France and the United States,” Evennou
said.
“We trust him, and as long as he is happy at UCLA, so are
we.”
The future is still unclear for Dehaine and Drean, but then
again, not many sophomores can easily plan the next decade in their
lives. It will be up to them whether or not they decide to play
professional tennis.
“It will be his choice,” Vincent Dehaine said.
“He might have opportunities, but it will always be his
choice.”
Watching last year’s team title from the sidelines, both
want to live that moment as contributing players before they leave.
But the decision to come to UCLA was about more than tennis.
“The tennis facilities here are the best, and I have
improved a lot,” Dehaine said. “But on a personal side,
I think we both want to leave here with a bachelor’s
degree.”
This should not be a problem for either of them, and whether
they decide to stay for a master’s, a professional career, or
head directly back to France, their impact on the Bruins will have
been worth the 6,000-mile journey.