PROVO, Utah — Jack Barnett is in his fourth season at BYU. The Noosa, Australia native is a team leader and is excited to finally be back on the court after an injury last season. Learn more about Barnett and how he got to where he is today.
Journey to BYU
Barnett played as many sports as he could growing up, including Aussie rules football, swimming, karate and tennis. As he grew up, Barnett gravitated more toward tennis because a broken finger kept him out of contact sports and a lot of his friends were playing tennis as well.
Once he was committed to tennis, Barnett realized he had a natural skill for the sport and focused on becoming the best he could. He moved to Spain for his junior year of high school, where he attended the Sanchez Casal Tennis Academy. For his senior year, he transferred to the Academy’s Florida campus and set his sights on playing collegiate tennis in the United States.
Former BYU head coach Brad Pearce watched Barnett play in the U.S. and invited him to Provo. “I came on a visit and learned more about BYU. The team was very good and a great fit,” Barnett said.
Leadership
Barnett often finds himself leading the team in a variety of ways, a role he says he fell into naturally. He explains he feels a desire to step into a leadership role as one of the more experienced members of the team.
“As one of the upperclassmen, being a leader and directing what the conversation and motivation should be each day comes naturally,” he said. His major, psychology, also helps him be a leader.
“Learning about how the mind works, especially in sports psychology, is super cool,” Barnett added. “My classes give me more insight into how to help other people.”
Recovering from Injury
The 2021-22 season was shorter than expected for Barnett, with a knee injury in March ending his singles play. He was able to return for four doubles matches at the end of the season (3-0, 1 unfinished), but missed the drive and emotion that comes from competing each week.
Luckily, he is back on the court, and he is looking forward to the rest of the season. Barnett is 2-2 in singles and 4-2 in doubles thus far in dual match play.
Home and Family
Noosa, Barnett’s hometown, is on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. The beach and warm weather are two of the biggest things he misses about Australia, especially since his parent’s house is just one block away from the beach.
Barnett has two siblings, one older and one younger. His parents are Andrew and Janine and his dad, Andrew, used to be a professional water skier.