PEERS John

General
DOUBLES FOCUS
After turning professional in 2011, he decided to focus fully on playing doubles in 2013. He reached the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015 with British partner Jamie Murray, before they ended their doubles partnership at the end of the 2015 season. In 2017 he won the Australian Open title alongside Finnish player Henri Kontinen. In May 2021 he ended a partnership with New Zealand player Michael Venus. "I've never really felt there's a negative connotation to the term 'doubles specialist'. Winning the Aussie Open last year [2017] was very special. Having made two finals with Jamie Murray and then getting another opportunity with Henri Kontinen in Australia was something I was ready for. The reason I like doubles is because I enjoy being part of a team. Sometimes it can get lonely out there on a tennis court if things aren't going well. It's not fun. I know what the singles guys go through and I didn't really enjoy that." (johnpeerstennis.com, 12 Jan 2016; independent.co.uk, 11 Nov 2015; athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Jan 2018; nzherald.co.nz, 28 May 2021)

SPORT AND STUDY
He began a finance degree at Middle Tennessee State University that he later continued at Baylor University in Waco, TX, United States of America. He says changing universities rekindled his love for the sport. "10 years ago [speaking in 2018], I never thought I'd be sitting here in my green and gold tracksuit, as a major winner, an Olympian, twice the ATP Finals doubles champion. I thought I'd give it a crack and then have to go try and work, to be honest. After my second year of college in the US, I was hating the game. I thought I'd just play as much golf and as little tennis as I could. It was a short period where I didn't enjoy it. Then I transferred colleges and got a fresh look at things and just got the drive to want to play again. I didn't look at being either a singles player or a doubles player - I just gave myself two years to at least break even from playing tennis and turn it into a job and if I didn't I'd go back and finish my finance degree, which I had started at the University of Middle Tennessee and continued at Baylor. And I'm still going." (athletesvoice.com.au, 01 Jan 2018)