Men’s tennis head coach Ross Wilson devotes the majority of late winter to spring recruiting prospective players from all over the world.

In April 2016, Wilson flew oversees to Europe in pursuit of three young tennis players, including now-Iowa freshman Will Davies. After countless conversations with Wilson, Davies committed to continue his tennis career as a Hawkeye.

“He came to Portugal and the UK twice to come and see me, so that’s a big factor really why I’m here,” Davies said. “He showed a lot of dedication in trying to get me here.”

Prior to his time at Iowa, Davies developed his tennis skills in numerous tournaments throughout the United Kingdom. He was named National U12 British Clay Court champion, came in second in singles and doubles at the British National U14 Championships, and represented Great Britain in five U14 and U16 International events.

It wasn’t just his ability on the court that helped secure a spot on the Iowa team, though.

“I liked his personality,” Wilson said. “He had a lot of questions about Iowa … I knew he was going to be a good fit here, because he cared about the things we look for in student-athletes.”

For Davies, the decision to come to Iowa was easy. After studying business in England, he knew finance was the career path he wanted to pursue and found Iowa’s program intriguing.

The Tippie College of Business accepted the Norwich, England, native as a direct-admit student, meaning he could immediately dive into his business career. Unlike many college athletes, the freshman’s first semester balance between tennis and school came effortlessly.

“I found it fine last semester,” he said. “This semester is more of a challenge … Obviously, we’re traveling every other weekend, so it’s just staying on top of things.”

The majority of Davies’ junior doubles career was spent alongside classmate Joe Tyler, but after arriving at Iowa, Wilson paired him with freshman Piotr Smietana. The two quickly adapted to each other’s playing styles after a whimsical pairing during the fall season.

With those two being last two players without doubles partners, Wilson and assistant coach Matt Hagan decided to give the tandem a try to see what happened. After some minor adjustments, Davies and Smietana found their groove.

“We work really well together,” Davies said. “He’s more solid from the back, and I like getting forward, so I let him do the tough work, and I just put the ball away at the net.”

Davies and Smietana now have the No. 40 spot in the International Tennis Association doubles rankings, and the freshman duo boasts a 16-5 record, 2-1 in conference play.