Coach Billy Martin can only remember one other pair of brothers on the UCLA men’s tennis team in his 34-year tenure as a coach.
And as rare as brothers on the same team is, Austin and Connor Rapp’s support for one another makes their presence even more significant.
“They’re a very close family, they’re close brothers, and their personalities are so good with the other teammates,” Martin said.
2018 is the only year that Austin and Connor Rapp will compete on the men’s tennis team together. But Austin Rapp, a senior, and Connor Rapp, a redshirt freshman, are no strangers to being on the same team.
The brothers started playing tennis when they were 8 and 6 following a family move from Illinois to California. The popular tennis culture in California made it easy for the boys to start clinics and immerse themselves in the game, they said.
A few years of later, the boys started United States Tennis Association and National Junior Tennis and Learning tournaments, but they weren’t only focused on tennis. Austin and Connor Rapp played travel baseball on the same team until they decided to pursue tennis exclusively.
“They just wanted to get to that next level and become not just good tennis players, but great players,” said their mother, Tiffany Rapp.
Austin and Connor Rapp became each other’s hitting partner, sparring on the court and harassing each other in the car en route to matches.
But the brothers were always sure to support each other during games, Tiffany Rapp said.
“When Connor was playing, Austin was there to cheer him on,” she said.
The days of caravanning to tournaments were cut short when Austin Rapp started playing for UCLA in 2014. Austin Rapp played doubles last year on court two, most notably making it to the final of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southwest Regional Championships and clinching the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with partner Joseph Di Giulio, who graduated last year.
Connor Rapp wasn’t far behind, joining UCLA in 2016, but he redshirted the 2016-2017 season. During the summer of 2016, Austin Rapp, a junior at the time, helped his brother acclimate not only to men’s tennis, but to UCLA academics. Before Connor Rapp even stepped on campus, his brother helped him choose classes and prepare workouts.
The opportunity to experience college and play on a Division I team together has brought Austin and Connor Rapp closer together, said their father, David Rapp.
“I think that they’ve grown even closer in the last year and a half, both being on campus together,” David Rapp said. “It’s always good to have somebody who’s been there before, but also there to push you and help you through it.”
On and off the court, both have excelled at UCLA. In 2017, Austin Rapp received the Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention.
“I think that they’re both such great young men,” Martin said. “I mean, both tenniswise and academically. Probably one of the best families I’ve ever had.”
Martin credits the character and easygoing disposition of the brothers to their upbringing. At most matches, their parents, younger sister and their family dogs can be spotted in the stands.
“We’re fortunate enough that we’re able to take a Saturday afternoon and come over and watch the guys,” David Rapp said. “A lot of parents don’t have that luxury.”
With the season approaching, the brothers aim to get into the lineup and contribute to the team any way they can. Martin first had the opportunity to watch Connor Rapp compete at the collegiate level when he first played for UCLA this fall.
“I think it showed me that he certainly has potential … to play both in our singles and doubles lineups,” Martin said.
Austin Rapp, however, is already thinking about the world beyond college tennis, and plans to play professionally over the summer.
“I’ve always wanted to do that ever since I was little,” Austin Rapp said. “I definitely don’t want to miss out on that opportunity.”
Connor Rapp said he appreciates having his brother around campus.
“You always have that one person you who you can go to for pretty much everything,” Connor Rapp said. “Most of the guys here … have their friends, but it’s just different with family here.”