1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Building the sport of tennis in the USA: April 6th, 2026, 11:25am

Episode Date: April 7, 2026

How to build up the interest in tennis inside the United States. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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On 937 the ticket and the ticket FM.com. Peter Cobalt. Oscar tennis. They head to Purdue in Indiana this week. And then next week, they've got a pretty stacked. Schedule Penn State comes to town, and then the Buckeyes come to the Dillon Tennis Center. And if you have not been to the Dillon Tennis Center, the women are on the road, the men are on road this week, but next week they're here. Please go down.

So I show up Sunday, and I see a train of people leaving the Dillon Tennis Center, the indoor center, to come outside. and then I look up and the scoreboard on and I went, oh, oh, we have outdoor tennis. We have outdoor tennis, 12 courts, and it is a beautiful, beautiful facility. Describe to folks what they haven't seen. Coach? Yeah, I mean, you haven't seen one of the nicest facilities in college. tennis. So I don't know if anyone's ever been to another college campus or seen another nice tennis center. But if you come and come to the Dillon Tennis Center, even just to watch for 30

minutes, you'll know what a top 20, top 15 tennis center looks like. We've been super blessed. Obviously, this was built before I was here. The previous head coach, Carrie McDermott, he was the one that got it done in conjunction with the women's soccer. program and it's beautiful. I think it's one of a kind and there's been other programs that have built facilities that have kind of looked at some of the blueprints and how we did the facility here and tried to duplicate a few things with their new facility, which is always kind of the, you know, what Mr. Danon always says, you know, he wants people to look at Nebraska and try and aspire to what we're doing. So it's an amazing facility. Now we just got to get to

the tennis to match how nice of the facility is. So both Herman and I are doing the very best we can and I think we're both moving in the right direction. Yeah, I was bouncing between facilities. So I was leaving tennis and going over to baseball and softball and Wisconsin, the men's team had just pulled up. And as you spoke to, it's the funny thing, right? So I'm just kind of standing there at the archway and they're walking up and you could see the players and coaches kind of pause and they said man nice facility this is nice when the when your opponents tell you you're getting it right you're getting it right that stuff has to matter yeah i mean for sure um you know there was a day there was a time where the the school with the nicest facility would land a few more recruits

those times i don't know if they're over but they're not the the facility is certainly not the most important thing anymore as as most of you guys know but um it's it's it's it's really nice because uh it's it's only reserved for the men's and women's tennis team or guys can come in and practice as much as they want whenever they want outside of you know the the hours that are that we have to follow by you know the NCAA rules and the compliance uh the office but um yeah over time we're trying to open up the facility a little bit more to the public some of the supporters of the program. But for now, yeah, your best opportunities to come by and watch either the men's or the women's team play and get a sneak peek. It's always free. Parking is super easy.

It's free. You can bring your whole entire family. There's free candy most of the time, free water. Like, I mean, come stop by and check out some really amazing high-level tennis, either on the men's side or the women's side. It's interesting to think about that, that in some of the other sports. So high school, that for basketball, they will play their local tournaments or district tournaments. And then they will have, they'll play at PBA for states. Is there anything like that done for like Lincoln Public Schools or the area high school

tennis tournaments where maybe you guys could host them down there at Dylan Tennyson? Yeah. So I think the bidding process is going on now. I don't know how much I'm allowed to talk about it. but the university's put in a bid to host the state championships. That would be amazing. For men, for the boys and the girls.

Yeah. I don't know how long the agreements for or for if we'll even get it, but the NSA has it now. And I think we should find out in a few weeks whether or not we'll get it. I think we feel pretty good about the bid. And I think it'd be really cool to have here at the university. I think it'd be great for not just the men's and women's tennis sports. But I think also for all the high school tennis players out there, they get a chance to tie the shoes up and play on the Huskers home courts.

What about what about like a summer invitational one? It's warm out. You get 12 courts outside, right? You do kind of a Nebraska invitational? You're trying to come out and hit some balls, D.P.? No, I'm trying to get high schoolers out here to hit some balls. You could do maybe a pro am. You can get Bach out there.

I think he's trying to get a basketball. That's right. There you go. You know, I think he's done that. What would be the restrictions to that to doing like a Husker imvitational? Well, I've got a club. BetMGM is an official sports betting partner of the National Hockey League and has everything for the action on the ice.

Hockey fans in Canada can place live bets, create same game parlays, take player props on their favorite skaters, and bet on the 2026 Stanley Cup champion, including if that team will be from Canada or the USA. BetMGM also has original bets, which are hockey markets you can't find anywhere else. And it's not just about what you can do on game day. The BetMGM app has improved its lineup this season to include instant withdrawals, data insights, and a brand new rewards hub. Download the BetmGM app today and enjoy the NHL like never before.

Betmgmgm.com for terms and conditions. 19 plus to wager, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario at 1866-531-260. To speak to an advisor, free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Anyone that lives within 50 miles, you're allowed to take a tennis lesson for me

or you're allowed to give you a lesson or build a clinic. up and you can come to our clinics, but every year I have to put on a tournament. So that's something that I'm working on now. So a 50 mile radius, is that the room? 50 mile radius. So that's most of Omaha. Okay. I don't know how far west it goes exactly, but it's based right where the tennis center is

and then nautical miles. So if you're straight line, boom, not based on the road. So anyone within 50 miles, you're allowed to inquire about that stuff. It's free to join the club. There's obviously a fee for lessons and for clinics. that's another easy, great way to come and not just enjoy the facility, but maybe hit a few balls with me. You know, Bach, there's no excuse now.

There's no excuse me. I'll cut you a deal, Bach. I just don't want to get embarrassed too much, but. Oh, you're going to get embarrassed. That's part of the deal. Like, you go, you go, you wouldn't say that to Roman Rain. You wouldn't say that to see a punk. Hey, don't embarrass me.

You take the chop, right? Right? You would take the chat. Yeah, but I don't even, I don't think I can return one. One. It's like gym. I went to gymnastics yesterday. Some sports you just go, oh, no, I can't do anything here.

Like literally nothing. Like, it's just like I'm in the cart roll class. Like, what is the? I think that's great. I mean, with gymnastics and with tennis and some of these sports that are that are hard. But I think it, you know, I think that's what makes them really cool and unique, but also sometimes it's hard for people to relate to what you're doing, too, like a sport like golf or, you know, basketball or to an extent even football where you can

just pick up a ball and you can throw it. You can be, you know, it's a tendency, sometimes there's, it's hard to get a real connection with the sport when people have that mentality bach, where it's like, I'm not even going to touch it because I don't know if I can even hit the ball. And I, God forbid, I just go out there and whiff the first one and, you know, DP gets it on video and I can't walk into the office ever again. So I'm trying to break down that barrier a little bit. But, but I think that's part of what makes tennis really unique and difficult is I truly believe that it's the toughest test in all of sports for multiple, for multiple reasons. You've got to be a chess player out there mentally. You've got to

be able to return 140 mile an hour serve. You've got to be able to do it on different. On different courts with different balls and different weather conditions on different continents. You know, and you got to be able to do it for multiple hours at a time with the finish line, not really in sight. I mean, it's just truly a test of all the elements that is required to be an athlete, which is the beauty of the sports. So even if you don't like tennis or if you've never really given tennis a chance, I think coming out and watching, either the men's or women's program play,

you can kind of see what I mean when I say all those things. It's really difficult. Some of the guys make it look pretty easy, but it's tough. And that's why at the end of the day, I'm always really proud of what they do because of how hard they work and they do make it look easy from time to time.

Your roster is predominantly European. What is the thing that causes the separation and the great level of greatness and preparedness for Division I tennis between Europe and America. What's happening? Is it training? Is it facilities, resource academies, promotion of the sport? What is it that has created the gap? I think the last one you said mostly is promotion of the sport.

So here in the States you have your, like in Nebraska, tennis is probably the seventh or the eighth most popular sport. maybe that's even a little high. But you go to France and you have soccer, football, their football, and then you have tennis. So you're getting, if they're not playing soccer, those next wave of athletes are playing tennis. And it's the same in Spain. And you go to some countries in tennis, it's number one.

So here, you know, so you're getting those countries very best athletes. So while I still think the best athletes reside here in the States for the most part, you know, most of the time, you know, 99 of those athletes are playing another sport. One of them might play tennis. And all the college coaches are arm wrestling for that one guy. So that's the tough part. But I think something that I truly value is developing the tennis community here, trying to build up the community, you know, opening up a club,

having tennis camps in the summer, encouraging the ATP to come here and have a huge tennis tournament every year. The Lincoln Challenger to try and promote, inspire. Tennis here to not just adults, but also the next wave of kids. Because I think once one of them picks it up and they catch the bug, it's really hard to stop playing. And it's a lifelong sport too. Healthiest sport in the world, lifelong sport.

So we got to figure out how to get your hand. get a racket in your hand, Bach. Well, just start slow, very slow. You got your second career coming up as an athlete. Hey, man. Thanks to learn. Before we go to break, Sunday morning watching the women play against Penn State,

and you talk about the athletes, right? The athlete. And there was an athlete that popped, and then, of course, immediately, you confirmed exactly what I thought. In tennis circles, the name Monfields has has power. It puts an image to mind.

And that if Moffields was American, he would have been a star running back basketball player, center field. He would have probably gravitated to another sport. Right. Like it would have been the thing. His sister, his younger sister, plays for Penn State. The fact that she ends up at Penn State

is the conversation we need to have and figure out how that happened. But if she, he was born and raised in the state, she'd be a volleyball player. Potentially. I mean, these are the things you never know. But, but yeah, I mean, obviously the, you know, the women's side of tennis, it's, you have phenomenal athletes there, phenomenal tennis players there too.

And, yeah, I think the girls team, they won the doubles point, and then they lost at one and two. So the one piece is, I think it's her little, his little sister, I believe. I could be wrong there. She ended up winning and the girls hung tough, and they got a tough home win again. So they're positioning themselves, themselves great for the Big Ten tournament and in the NCAA tournament too.

But, yeah, I mean, tennis is an international sport. And, yeah, where are you from and where you grow up will dictate a lot of things in what you decide to do, not just with tennis, but all aspects of life. she was she was extremely talented an explosive athlete and looked the way that you would imagine that it would all things we'll go to break I'm going to ask coach to come up with some kind words

and it should be very easy to do about a coaching colleague that won't go forward in the program but it's part of the fraternity and the sorority that is coaching at this level. You have to stay connected. You have to admire you, you, everybody picks from the other and sees how they go about business. But when you have an an all-American athlete at the university who comes back to coach, goes in the Hall of Fame and

then comes back to coach, there is a different kind of connection. I'll ask Cobalt about Heather Brink from gymnastics when we come back and close out one-on-one.