Eliot Spizzirri & squash twin Nick: From childhood tantrums to shining on the global stage

ATP Tour

Eliot Spizzirri & squash twin Nick: From childhood tantrums to shining on global stage

Exclusive insight from both twins

Eliot Spizzirri Nicholas and Eliot Spizzirri just before the start of the US Open. By Andrew Eichenholz

Eliot Spizzirri earned the biggest win of his career Sunday when he defeated Stefan Dostanic in the first round of the US Open. It was the 23-year-old’s first main draw victory at a major and just the third tour-level win of his career. But the former University of Texas star is not the only member of his family enjoying a special week.

His twin brother, Nick, helped the United States' team win the Pan Am Championships in squash. While Eliot has been thriving in New York, Nick was shining in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“We were both ranked 124 in the world at the same time, on the same day [in June], so it’s pretty close,” a smiling Eliot said. “I’d say we’re both trying to make pushes. We have a healthy relationship of course. He’s my best friend and I want the best for him.”

Eliot and Nick played tennis, squash and golf growing up in Connecticut. The brothers would often face one another in a local club championship.

“It would end pretty horribly for one of us, obviously the losing one. [There were] some severe tantrums where our parents had to control us and had to get us all sorted after the loss,” Eliot recalled. “My dad I wouldn’t say pushed us, but he was adamant about us trying different things so we weren’t playing each other all the time. Luckily enough Nick gravitated a little bit more to squash and I gravitated towards tennis, so we weren’t playing each other as often, which was a plus.”

In retrospect, Eliot would have loved if Nick played tennis. But they both have found success in their own sport. Eliot spent much of his teens traveling with coach Patrick Hirscht to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to train, while his brother improved in squash, ultimately leading him to the University of Pennsylvania.

The Spizzirri brothers are not only professional athletes, but family cheerleaders. They are one another’s biggest fan and spent time together fishing just days before Nick flew to Brazil.

“We talk every day. He’s my best friend in the world. We’re always giving each other advice and most of the time we’re just joking about stuff that’s not tennis or squash,” Eliot said. “But when it comes to it, he has a tournament or I have a tournament, we’re always bouncing ideas off each other and trying to help each other get as locked in as possible, learn and try to get better.”

Right before Nick flew to the Pan Am Championships, he was “in a really bad headspace” with his squash. Not only was he not enjoying training, but he did not want to go on the court.

“I would’ve rather been at home doing anything else,” Nick said. “I spoke to my brother about it and he told me that if it were him he’d take a couple days off as I was likely burnt out. It won’t affect my level nor my fitness by taking a few days off, it could help me feel more fresh for the tournament as well.

“That’s exactly what I did, and when I got to Brazil I achieved some of the biggest wins of my career so far. I was able to defeat the World No. 34 to clinch a U.S. team win over Colombia and ultimately win a Pan Am gold later in the tournament and I believe a lot of the reason I was able to was due to Eliot’s advice.”

Both twins compete with a lot of fire and emotion and use that to motivate themselves during matches. Off the court, however, Nick explained that they are actually quite different. For example, Eliot is very organised and structured in his daily life.

“His clothes are all folded neatly and his supplements are all placed in a specific order on his desk with his red light glasses on his bureau for when he gets back from training,” Nick said. “My room has all my clothes thrown into a pile in the corner and my supplements are all over for me to have to find every morning for when I need to take them.

“Basically I am much more laid back off the court. We’re both very social. He’s more of a nice charismatic character and I am more of a class clown in group scenarios.”

Eliot agrees, saying: “I’m probably more Type A, he’s more relaxed. He’s kind of a class clown and he’s pretty laid back. I don’t think I’m as laid back, but I’m trying to learn things from him and maybe vice versa. We’re similar in ways and different in others, but he actually has the tennis genes. He’s 6’4” and a little bit bigger than me. Maybe I should have played squash and he should have played tennis.”

It seems to be working out for both brothers at the moment. Spizzirri will try to continue his run at the venue where he spent years training on Wednesday against 32nd seed Luciano Darderi with a potential clash against second seed Carlos Alcaraz looming in the third round.

“It’s a dream come true. I remember sneaking through the stadiums here trying to find the loopholes and the shortcuts and training here from such a young age,” Eliot said. “I was telling someone earlier this week that despite being a wild card, I’ve probably spent more time on these courts than anyone else in the draw. These are the things you dream of as a kid and the reason why I train so hard to get to this level. It’s nice to see it pay off.”

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