Joshua Mabry, Campus Carrier Asst. Sport Editor
Jonas Frank played club tennis in Germany for several years before coming to Berry to study. When he came to Berry, he wanted to be involved in campus life, so he joined the men’s tennis team even though he never considered playing sports in college. Photos courtesy of Jonas Frank.
Jonas Frank, originally from Michelstadt, Germany, is a junior on the men’s tennis team who has lived in the U.S. since August 2017, when he started taking classes at Berry.
Frank said that he never thought about playing sports in college until coming to Berry. He had always played tennis for a club in Germany.
Once he arrived here, Frank wanted to know how he could be involved on campus and found out about the men’s tennis team. He walked on the team after asking the coach if he could try out.
Frank said that one of his favorite aspects of tennis is that a tennis player has to be ready to play for such a long time, which is unlike many other sports.
“You have to be focused for two or three hours,” Frank said. “It’s really mental and I like that.”
In tennis, it is nice to be the only one on the court that is responsible for all mistakes and good things that happen, according to Frank.
“I get frustrated if I’m playing a team sport and somebody else makes the mistakes while I play really good,” Frank said.
Frank is studying international business at Berry. With his degree he hopes to go into product and customer development, working for an international, sustainable company.
But first, Frank wants to get his Master of Business Administration.
Jonas Frank
Smaller classes and the liberal arts nature of the college are aspects of Berry that Frank really enjoys. He likes that he can make connections with his professors and classmates.
“I’m not used to the form of being able to go to an art history or psychology class,” Frank said. “That’s a great way for me to not just focus on my business classes. It’s a great way to expand my knowledge.”
Frank shared some differences between living in the U.S. and Germany. He said the biggest difference is the food.
“I really miss German food,” Frank said.
The way colleges operate is another significant difference between the two countries, according to Frank.
“When I was studying in Germany, I didn’t have to attend classes,” Frank said. “We only had one final per year, per class. I had a lot of free time.”
Frank said that his schedule at Berry is much busier. In addition to having class, he has tennis practice every day and works at a furniture store.
After playing tennis, Frank said his other favorite hobby is attending a surfing contest in France every year.
Frank said that an interesting fact about himself is that he has been driving a pickup truck while living in the U.S.
“I really hate driving a pickup truck because it’s so bad for the environment, but here in the States may be the only time I can drive one of those things,” Frank said.
Clay Hightower, head tennis coach, only said positive things about Frank.
“Opponents respect his quickness and will often make mistakes as they play too close to the line,” Hightower said. “Apart from the talent Jonas has as a tennis player, he is a great teammate.”
Frank and the rest of the men’s tennis team will begin this season against Piedmont College at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College on Feb. 22, at 4 p.m.
