TEMPE, Ariz. – Roosevelt University’s Justus Peters wears many hats.
When Peters is not on-court as captain of the Lakers men’s tennis program, he serves as an executive board member of the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a Resident Advisor in the dorms, a member of the university’s Investment Club, and occasionally, a tennis coach at a nearby club.
Ahead of the inaugural College Tennis Weekend, the ITA spoke with Peters, a senior from Wolfsburg, Germany, who hopes to show other student-athletes the benefits of on-campus leadership and community involvement.
“I think that everyone is capable of more than what they actually think they are. You need to put yourself out there to really understand what you’re really capable of.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Growing up in Germany, when did you first start playing tennis, and what about it really resonated with you from an early age?
It’s actually a funny story about how I started playing. I actually started playing relatively late compared to others. I started around nine or 10, and it was because my best friend started playing and we were always hanging out. He started going to tennis practices, and I was like, ‘Why are you leaving me alone here? I want to come with.’ I just started joining and then started picking up lessons and didn’t take it too seriously until the age of 13. I kind of needed to decide between playing soccer or playing tennis, and from then on I kind of took it more seriously.
When did you first learn about college tennis and realize you could play here in the U.S.?
Around the age of 13, I started playing tournaments and then I started picking it up. I started going to some summer camps abroad because of my sister. She was like, ‘Look, maybe you’re interested in a summer camp.’ I did a summer camp in the UK and then COVID hit and then I was supposed to go again, but I couldn’t. Then, I actually went to the Rafael Nadal Academy for a week and ended up being there for two weeks. I was looking at Canada and the US [for college], but all of the options didn’t really have the level of tennis that I was looking for. I somehow ended up at the Nadal Academy for a semester and ended up being two years and finishing my high school there. That’s the point where I got introduced to college tennis because I didn’t know about it too much beforehand, but at the Academy, about 90 percent of the people went to the U.S., got a scholarship, and I really resonated with the concept of that. I started looking more into it, and that’s what I think started me with it.
What led you ultimately to Roosevelt University, and why was it the right fit for you?
I think how most college tennis players get in touch [with schools] is mostly through an agency or outreach to coaches, and then they look at the whole package. What is the athletic side? What scholarship do I receive? What conference do I play in? What teams do you play? What teams am I going to play against? Also, where’s the university located? What are the kinds of opportunities around there? At the end of the day, is it a match with the coach? That’s the person you’re talking to in the recruiting process and possibly another player from the team. That’s really what I was basing my decision off when I talked [to Roosevelt]. I talked to a lot of coaches, but that’s what resonated best with me.
You’re involved in so much on and off campus. Have you always been comfortable in leadership roles like the ones you hold now?
I think I’ve definitely grown into it. I think it started when I first moved abroad and it kind of gave me that international exposure and needing to put myself out there. Coming to college obviously was a shift, but then I got some great opportunities at the beginning of my second semester to join the student advisory committee, while also being team captain of a relatively new team that was moving from NAIA to Division II. That’s kind of when I started building up my leadership positions. I will say that from the beginning on, it’s not something that I went into and I was like, ‘I know how to run all of this.’ I think it’s a learning experience for everyone. It gave me a lot of exposure and I really enjoyed the process. I’m still learning a lot, but also I get to pay it forward now, which I really enjoy.
What have you learned about yourself in these leadership roles?
I would say putting yourself out there and trusting the process. I think that those are really the key things. I think that everyone is capable of more than what they actually think they are. You need to put yourself out there to really understand what you’re really capable of.
You mentioned being a team captain. What does it mean to you to hold that title?
I think it means living up to a certain standard and also setting that standard for the team. You’re always going to be someone who’s, maybe not in a way looked up to, but more seen as a role model, especially from people coming into the team. You need to make sure that you’re present 100 percent at all times.
You’ve also coached tennis within your community. How did that opportunity come to be?
I started coaching actually about a year ago in the U.S.. At Roosevelt, we practiced at a facility on the South Side and I got to know the people there and then it presented itself as a coaching opportunity, as well. It’s been really nice. I got to meet a lot of people, from young people that want to go to college tennis to little kids who are just enjoying the sport and they want to get started with it all the way up to a 67-year-old who was like, ‘I love tennis, this is all I want to do.’ I really like the diversity I had there and the mix of people. You also have a lot of different people working in different professions, which to the college student, I think can teach you a lot. You get to hear about different journeys when you’re picking up all of that. I got to appreciate that side as well … I do enjoy coaching a lot and I would love to keep coaching kind of on the side.
You’re an executive board member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Roosevelt. What excites you about representing your university in that position?
I think it gives student-athletes a voice. It’s a great platform with things and legislation at the end of the day actually gets passed. Our conference representative was just at the NCAA Convention and he was sending us updates about certain stuff that’s getting passed and that’s being voted on. I would say it’s giving the student-athletes exposure and a say in things. On the other side, on the university level as well, it’s building a community and also paying it forward to our community. This year, we’re in the top 10 in Division II for community service and Make-A-Wish, so we’ve really pushed on that.
You’re also a Resident Advisor in the dorms at Roosevelt. What do you enjoy about working with your school in this non-tennis role?
Yeah, I think being an RA teaches you a lot. You get to interact with all the residents and in the end you’re an example, but also a person that someone can talk to at any time. I think what has kind of helped me as I stepped into the RA world last semester was that I already knew how the university operated and I knew most of the people at the university. If people came to me with questions, I already kind of knew which person would be great to connect them with or knowing what they needed. It’s been kind of nice. It’s been nice that I got to create all of these things together.
What inspires you about competing at the Division II level?
First of all, the opportunity and the competition is really high. Our conference is very competitive and especially coming from NAIA in my first year, it was definitely a big switch. It’s very intense and I think a unique opportunity about college sports is just that it is really intense and tennis really becomes a team sport and not only an individual sport. The team members are getting hyped and all of that. It’s a unique opportunity that I’ve only experienced in the U.S. like that. I joke with my friends that if a college student would come to Europe and act the way they do here, everyone would be like, ‘What is happening here?’ [laughter]
You really get to enjoy the culture of college tennis.
What are your aspirations for life after college?
I restarted the investment club at the university here, and that’s what I’ve kind of grown into. It was actually one of the things that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I got to meet a lot of professionals, as well. I do see myself in the world of sports, but also kind of combined with the financial investment side of things. That’s really where I see myself. I’ve done a summer internship during summer break with a soccer team in the Bundesliga back home, which I really liked. I like the sports industry as a whole, as I have been part of it since I was very little and I was always excited about it. Getting to combine these two things is a unique opportunity. It’s only a unique opportunity that college tennis in the U.S. has offered me to combine athletics with academics. I think it’s a dream for a lot of people.
What message would you share to other athletes who are interested in getting involved on campus and the benefits of immersing yourself in your community?
I’d say first of all, enjoy the process and then put yourself out there and ask questions. Everyone is there. They will take time to answer, but you need to ask questions. If you don’t ask questions, people are not just always going to tell a story with no one asking. I think that has helped me a lot. Asking questions is key. No matter if it’s just hanging out with friends or if it’s while meeting someone professionally, that’s what my advice would be.