In his first three years at Marquette, senior Jan Jauch — hailing from Flüelen, Switzerland — had never had a teammate who spoke German, his native language.
That was until senior Jasper Schaadt — a St. Wendel, Germany native — transferred from Cardinal Stritch this past year.
“It’s just been great to have him as a new addition to the team,” Jauch said. “We had quite a lot of people leaving and him coming in, he brought a lot of good vibes.”
Now, Jauch and Schaadt are doubles partners, and Marquette interim director of tennis Jud Shaufler said he put them together because of their extensive experience.
“JJ (Jan Jauch) and Jasper really are two of our best players and at that point in time, they are what I would call a little bit of a work in progress,” Shaufler said. “We’re going to need those two guys to keep growing and merging together… but they really are two of our stronger players and really need to play in that position (No. 2).”
When he stepped onto campus in the fall, Schaadt said that Jauch was one of the first people to introduce himself.
“We got along immediately,” Schaadt said. “I felt like we had a similar personality and also a lot of things in common. I remember we were talking about our favorite movies and we both had the same favorite movies, it was kind of weird. He was definitely great to have a smooth transition and to feel welcomed on the team.”
Although Jauch and Schaadt both share a love for “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy off the court, they are two different players when they walk into a match.
“He’s (Jauch) wired a little tighter than Jasper is in terms of how he approaches his on-court stuff,” Shaufler said. “He’s a little bit more excitable, so I’m trying to help him. If I could give 20% of Jasper’s calm approach to things and give it to JJ, and give 20% of his excitability to Jasper, I would.”
While the pair is still working to improve their doubles game, Jauch said that their chemistry is never an issue.
“The fact that we’re friends helps with on-court chemistry,” Jauch said. “We don’t really have to worry about having bad chemistry or not really connecting with each other… That’s a really important first step.”
Despite the rough start where they’ve only won two doubles matches, Shaufler said that Jauch and Schaadt have the potential to be an effective team.
“The breakdowns that I’ve seen with them are more of an individual thing,” Shaufler said. “It’s not a question of teamwork or merging — I think all those things are in place. Some of the essential components from a tennis standpoint — finishing easy balls and putting a lot of returns in play at crucial times… With them right now, it’s more of an individual execution that’s going to pull them together.”
Schaufler said that as Marquette enters Big East play, Jauch and Schaadt need to be successful at the No. 2 position, as they are rotating players around in the No. 3 spot and haven’t found their main pairing.
“We’re really relying on positions one and two to keep getting better and hope that at some point, number three starts to get a little more successful as they get more experience…” Shaufler said. “A lot of pressure is going to be on one and two, so we have to keep pushing them to get bigger, better, stronger (and) smarter.”
However, Jauch said that he is up for the challenge.
“I don’t think we’re completely satisfied with our results yet,” Jauch said. “We definitely feel like there is still room for improvement,” Jauch said. “Hopefully, once Big East matches come around, we’re going to be able to raise our level a little bit. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Through the ups and downs of the tennis season, Schaadt said that his connection with Jauch through the German language is something he will always be grateful for.
“Off the court, in the van, when we drive to matches, we always talk and that’s really fun,” Schaadt said. “It feels nice when someone says something in your mother language to push you and gives you the extra percent.”
This story was written by Kaylynn Wright. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @KaylynnWrightMU.
