Men’s Tennis player Mitch Barr stands out as a leader on his team of young players. A sophomore, Barr plays #1 for singles and, along with Cole Jensen, plays #1 in doubles for Minnesota State. This has been a bit of a jump for Barr who played #3 for singles and #2 for doubles in his freshman year. The Accounting major from Sioux Falls, S.D., holds a singles record of 4-10 and doubles record of 4-11for the season. The latest rankings from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) saw Barr at 15th in singles play and, along with Jensen, 10th in doubles play for the Central Region.
MSU Men’s Tennis coach Phil Brauer had this to say about Barr, “Mitch has been on the verge of doing some big things especially since he's playing #1…He has to face each team’s best player every time and almost every single school we play has a very good top player, and a lot of them are international athletes so it's a very challenging position to play at, but Mitch is growing his game mentally and physically. On the tennis court he is one of the leaders and how he plays strongly affects the rest of the team as well.”
15 Questions with Mitch Barr
1) How long have you been playing tennis?
I’ve been playing tennis since I was a freshman in high school.
2) Do any of your family members play tennis?
My dad plays tennis occasionally and my little brother plays for Roosevelt High School.
3) Were you on any competitive tennis teams before coming to MSU?
Yes, I played on my high school team?
4) Have you ever gotten the chance to compete in any state, regional or national championships in high school?
I competed in the State Tournament my sophomore, junior and senior year.
5) Were you involved in any other sports growing up? If so, why did you stick with tennis?
I played football, basketball, and soccer but mostly I played baseball. I chose tennis basically out of spontaneity but I played baseball for about 9 years!
6) What has been your proudest moment in your athletic career?
Well my proudest moment in tennis would be my senior year when my doubles partner and I won the State semifinal match against our inner-city rival.
7) How did you decide to come to MSU?
I actually didn’t decide to come to MSU until June before my first year, but most of the reason that I came to MSU was because I wanted to play at a competitive level and still be pretty close to home.
8) Which type of match do you enjoy playing more, singles or doubles?
I personally enjoy playing doubles more because I grew up playing sports with a team so I like to have a teammate out on the court with me.
9) How do you approach singles and doubles matches differently?
In singles I need to be more mentally strong because I’m out there by myself, whereas in doubles I have someone to rely and someone relying on me. Also, in singles I need to be more patient because in doubles we have to play very aggressively and quickly.
10) You are ranked #15 in singles and #10 in doubles with your partner Cole Jensen. Does this affect your mindset during matches?
To be honest the rankings don’t really affect me. This might be because I don’t feel that I deserve to be ranked so there’s not too much pressure on me; at least in my mind.
11) Your team recently played in Puerto Rico. How did you enjoy that trip?
The trip was amazing! We ended up playing five matches while we were down there. Unfortunately I didn’t perform too well but just being in Puerto Rico made it fun! The beaches and ocean were beautiful and the people were actually very accepting and kind! We visited this waterfall which was breath-taking and stayed in a quite luxurious home. The trip couldn’t have been any better!
12) If you could play in any of the pro Grand Slam tournaments which one would it be and why?
I would probably have to choose the U.S. Open partially because I would be representing America but also because the U.S. Open has the most events and entertainment surrounding the tournament as well as having the most fun and rowdy fans!
13) Who is your favorite pro tennis player?
Rafael Nadal is my favorite tennis player.
14) Do you have a favorite pre-match or post-match meal?
I don’t necessarily have a routine or usual meal that I eat but I always enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
15) Clay, grass or hard court?
My style of play best suits clay courts but since I have only played on hard courts my whole life I would have to say that my best surface would be hard courts. But it’s a dream of mine to play on grass courts someday!
