Benjamin and Courtney John Lock are two of the most successful players helping to change the game of tennis in Zimbabwe with both of them having represented Zimbabwe in the Davis Cup. It also helps that tennis runs in their blood with their dad being tennis legend and President of Tennis Zimbabwe Martin Lock. The Lock brothers also say that when it comes to their tennis career there faith in God motivates them and keeps them humble.
Thomas Price- Mr. Lock and Mr. Lock you two grew up in tennis family as your father Martin Lock is a tennis legend as he represented Zimbabwe in the Davis Cup in the 1980s would you two say that having a tennis legend for a father is what influenced you to take up the sport of tennis? Do you two ever felt that there is a weight or pressure placed on your shoulders to achieve the same success as your father and has your father gave you two any advice when it comes to tennis?
Benjamin Lock- Yes, My Dad is a tennis legend for Zimbabwe and that definitely motivated us to play tennis. I do also come from a tennis as family as my mother was also a top player for Rhodesia in her day and played at a very high level. My grandmother and her brother were the top ranked players for Rhodesia also. My grandmother, Rita Stilwill played in the Roehampton Grass court championships in England and her brother, Roy, made third round of Wimbledon in mixed doubles. My parents have been the perfect tennis parents in my opinion. They never sugarcoated anything in life for us. We grew up in a household with a mentality that hard work, passion, hunger, and never giving up were the only ways to succeed in life. My parents have dedicated so much of their time, effort, and money into our tennis. They were passionate but they never forced us into anything. They are the reason why I am where I am today and I will be forever grateful to them.
Courtney John Lock- Yes, having a father that played Davis cup for the country and a mother who represented Rhodesia nationally, therefore we were definitely exposed to it at a young age. No I didn’t feel any pressure because I always loved the game and still do. My parents always told us to enjoy playing the game.
Thomas Price- Now one thing that is real close to your father’s heart is his Zimbabwe heritage it is so close that he even encouraged you two to take a Zimbabwe flag with wherever you go. Was this something your father always told you two, but did it become even more meaningful when you two played tennis? Is this something you two still do today when traveling to different places for tennis matches?
Benjamin Lock- My Dad is very patriotic and will always love Zimbabwe. He did encourage to take a flag wherever we went to remind us that we weren’t playing for ourselves only and that people back home (friends, family, fans of tennis) were counting on us to represent the country in the highest manner. I do not take a flag with me all the time now but I do take it to many events and always bring a couple for Davis Cup ties. My brother and I are very patriotic and share the same feelings as my Dad for Zimbabwe.
Courtney John Lock- Yes, our father is very passionate about the patriotism of playing for the country and so are we. We enjoy putting Zimbabwe on the map whenever we can and carrying a flag with us to big events always helped. Both of us always had/have a Zim flag up on our wall in college apartments and obviously for Davis cup we take them.
Thomas Price- In addition, playing collegiate tennis also happens to be in your blood considering your father played collegiate tennis at Morehead State University for four years. Now you two both played collegiate tennis at separate universities. Now Benjamin now you choose to attend Florida State University to play collegiate tennis career why and did try to convince your brother at one time to attend Florida State University for his collegiate tennis career? Courtney you started your collegiate tennis career at the University of Louisville why and what prompted your decision to transfer to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to finish your collegiate tennis career?
Benjamin Lock- I enjoyed every moment at Florida State University, it fitted my personality well and the team, staff, coaches and myself just meshed well. Every person is different and will have different feelings towards a University. Unfortunately FSU did not a have space on their roster at the time but Courtney is thriving at UNLV and he would’ve had a successful collegiate career at any University.
Courtney John Lock- College tennis is a great stepping stone for the pro circuit and these days most men on tour are playing their best tennis between 26-30. I was recruited by UNLV before I chose Louisville and the Head coach is South African (who knew my coach in south Africa) so I always ties to the university. The environment at Louisville was very military like and created a lot of negative energy at practices. There was also a financial part to it and it made sense to move to UNLV and has been the greatest move for me.
Thomas Price- Now your father is the current president of Tennis Zimbabwe do you two think your father could successfully develop the sport of tennis in Zimbabwe? With your father having the position of president for Tennis Zimbabwe, does it say anything about the legacy of your family in the sport of tennis would you say that Zimbabwe considers you three to be tennis royalty?
Benjamin Lock- I was ecstatic when my Dad was elected the new president of tennis. He is the man for the job. His passion and hunger to develop tennis in Zimbabwe is exactly what the country needed. It will take time but I know he will be successful and game will continue to develop and grow throughout the country. I do not consider my family tennis royalty. We are passionate individuals who share the same interests and wishes, that Zimbabwe thrives and moves forward in the tennis world. Tennis has given me the most amazing experiences and opportunities and my dream is that more kids from Zimbabwe can have the same experiences and opportunities through tennis that I had.
Courtney John Lock- My father is a very determined and motivated man in every aspect of his life, therefore he deserves to be president. He has already helped the game tremendously in Zimbabwe and has been a massive part of keeping the sport going with getting sponsors and developing juniors. My dad has given so much to Tennis Zimbabwe along with Mr. Chinamo, Mr. Bhunu and several others. They have been critical in keeping the sport going.
Thomas Price- Tennis is one sport where it is quite common for parents to have the siblings play together and at the same time compete against each other were you two raised that way or not? Would you two say there is any sibling rivalry between you two? Benjamin is there habit or something that your brother does that you find annoying would you say there anything about your brother that makes you jealous? Courtney does Benjamin have a habit you find annoying at times and is there anything your brother that you are jealous of? When competing on the professional tennis tour for the Association of Tennis Professionals do you two prefer playing doubles together or playing singles?
Benjamin Lock- My brother and I are very competitive but we also love each other very much. He is my best friend and I only want the very best for him in everything that he does. He is my biggest supporter and I am his. Jealousy doesn’t exist between us because a win for him is a win for me. The day will come when we have to play against each other but I have no doubt we will handle that match like true professionals.
Courtney John Lock- Yes we were always very competitive each other in all sports. No not really, we are extremely similar in a lot of aspects and I am sometimes get even more joy when I see him succeeding than when I actually do. I enjoy playing both but it’s a lot of fun playing with Benji and competing around the world
Thomas Price- Now when you see the success of Bob and Mike Bryan for the United States, Andy and Jamie Murray for the United Kingdom, and Jürgen and Gerald Melzer for Austria do you two notice the impact they have on the sport tennis for their respective countries and that maybe you two eventually could have the same impact on Zimbabwe? In addition, do you think the success of the Bryan brothers, the Murray brothers, the Melzer brothers and you two could lead to the rise of more siblings playing tennis?
Benjamin Lock- The impact is just huge! Its amazing to see the effect that brothers in a sport can have on a country and so many people. Our goal is to make a difference in Zimbabwe and to use our talents to make an impact and inspire others to do the same or better. Yes, I think that the recent success of siblings will definitely lead to a rise in more siblings playing tennis together.
Courtney John Lock- Yes, I think if we were to make it to the top it would definitely inspire a lot of young kids to take up tennis and pursue the sport. There is the Zverev brothers also.
Thomas Price- Now between you two whom would you say is more close to your father and why?
Benjamin Lock- There are no favorites in our household. We both have unique and special relationships with our parents.
Courtney John Lock- We both a very strong bond with our dad. I wouldn’t say one is stronger than the other.
Thomas Price- Your father was the Zimbabwe Open champion in 1993 and then seventeen years later Benjamin you became the Zimbabwe Open champion. How important was that victory to you and more importantly how was the victory to your father after seeing you hoist the trophy did it feel like you were recreating history? Courtney now do you eventually hope to become the Zimbabwe open champion yourself one day and how important would that achievement be to you and also your family’s tennis legacy?
Benjamin Lock- Yes it was a special day for sure! It was special to share that moment with my father. I wanted to hoist that trophy so badly and was amazing to do it with my parents there to see it.
Courtney John Lock- I Have only played the Zimbabwe open once when I was 15. So I would like to play it again in the future.
Thomas Price- Now Benjamin at the age of 17 or was it some other age when you received a tennis scholarship to the International Tennis Federation training center in Pretoria, South Africa and did you felt that your tennis scholarship was an advantage as it helped you develop your tennis skills at a young age? Courtney did you have the same opportunity to train at the International Tennis Center in Pretoria, South Africa by the way of tennis scholarship or did you do you training somewhere else and if so where did you train at?
Benjamin Lock- I had a scholarship to the ITF training centre when I was 13 years old. It was a tough decision to leave home at 13 but I would do it all over again if I could. My tennis game developed so much and I became a stronger more independent person. Courtney followed to the same academy at age 14.
Courtney John Lock- Yes. I also spend 4 years of my junior career at the ITF center in south Africa. Before that I was coached by Gerald Stoffberg in Pretoria. I think that the move to South Africa at age 12 was a big part of my development.
Thomas Price- Benjamin you competed on the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team six times and your first appearance was in 2010, but your first time playing on the team with your brother Courtney was in 2015 and 2016 when Courtney competed on the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team for the first time. How important is representing Zimbabwe at Davis Cup to you two and would you two eventually want to see the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team back in the world group of the Davis Cup? Now Benjamin you are the Davis Cup veteran as you competed six times have you gave your brother any advice about playing in the Davis Cup and playing in the Davis Cup with your brother Courtney has to be something amazing as you two are sharing the spotlight together what is like playing in the Davis Cup with your brother? Now Courtney would say that representing the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team alongside your brother gives you a great sense of pride and do you feel as if you and your brother are living up to your father’s legacy by representing the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team together?
Benjamin Lock- Playing for my country is the ultimate prize. There is no better feeling knowing that you have the support of a nation behind you. The world group is our goal and I believe in time that we can achieve this. Playing Davis Cup with Courtney has been the best experience of my tennis career and when we made our debut in doubles we came back from two sets to love down and won the match against Georgia. It has always been a dream of ours since we were young to play Davis Cup together and the fact that we are living this dream is amazing.
Courtney John Lock- I love playing Davis cup. It is by far my favorite event of the year and it is even more special when I get to play alongside my brother. We recently won a 5 set win against a top 100 player last year so that was very special but we are both young and have a lot more ties ahead of us.
Thomas Price- Now Benjamin you have only two single career titles in your entire tennis career with your first in 2015 at the Standard Bank Mozambique open and your second in 2016 at the Old Mutual Future Zimbabwe open would you consider your career titles in singles to be your greatest achievement in terms of your tennis career involving single and why? Now Benjamin do you think that you can achieve another singles title in 2017 for tennis and do you want to see your brother Courtney win his first singles title in tennis in 2017? Courtney now you have yet to win a singles title in tennis and are you optimistic about 2017 and do you think that you will achieve your first singles titles in 2017?
Benjamin Lock- I am very proud of my singles titles and they have been my best results up to date but I expect greater things to come around the corner. I have only been playing professional tennis for 10 months now and so I am at a very early stage in my tennis career. Courtney is a very talented player and if he continues to improve his game the way he has been then I have no doubt he will win many tournaments.
Courtney John Lock- Winning a singles professional title is very special thing to do and very few people in this world do it. It is definitely one of my goals.
Thomas Price- Now Benjamin you have three doubles careers titles in your tennis career now your first doubles title was in 2014 with Jean Yves Aubone at the USA F31 Futures and your other two were in 2016 with your brother Courtney at the Standard Bank Mozambique open and Egypt F16 Futures. How important was your first doubles title to your tennis career Benjamin? Now Courtney you have never won a doubles title without your brother as your doubles partner would you say that you could achieve your first doubles title without your brother as your partner this year and how important would that be to you? Now when you two received your first doubles title together at Standard Bank Mozambique open how important was that victory to you two and do you two enjoy sharing your victories and even loses for doubles tennis together?
Benjamin Lock- I have four doubles titles after winning another one in 2017. Winning my first title was a huge boost of confidence and it made me believe that I can win at a high level. Winning in Mozambique was extremely special and a moment I will always remember. Courtney is an unreal doubles player and has success with whomever he plays with.
Courtney John Lock- I only get to play futures in the summer apart from a few exceptions in the fall. So I mostly play with Benji when I play and I like it that way. The title in Mozambique was very special and I think everyone remembers their first pro title. No I have never won a future without my brother. In fact I have only ever played two futures with another partner due to the limited number of tournaments I am able to play with college commitments.
Thomas Price- Now what type of tennis court did you two develop your skills on hard court, clay court, or both? Now Benjamin when you play on particular surface when competing in tennis matches do you have different technique for different surfaces and can you describe your technique? Now Courtney when you play on particular surface when competing in tennis matches do you have different technique for different surfaces and can you describe your technique?
Benjamin Lock- We both developed our game on hard courts in Zimbabwe and South Africa. My game style is pretty similar on all surfaces but obviously you have to make Tactical adjustments when playing on clay or hard courts. I use my serve and forehand to dictate play and work my way to the net but on clay I will have to be more patient and wait for the right ball to attack.
Courtney John Lock- We both grew up playing on a hard court in Zimbabwe. I think we mostly play on hard court as that is the surface for college tennis. Occasionally we play on clay if playing in Europe or north Africa. Personally, I prefer a fast hard court. I have never played a grass court tournament but I think that would also suit my game.
Thomas Price- Now when you two travel to different tournaments to compete in tennis matches the surfaces of the court vary from clay to hard. Benjamin what type of tennis court surface do you prefer to play on when in traveling to various tennis tournaments and do you avoid certain tournaments because of a particular surface tennis court if you do not play your strongest on a certain type of tennis court surface? Courtney what type of tennis court surface do you prefer to play on when in traveling to various tennis tournaments and do you avoid certain tournaments because of a particular surface tennis court if you do not play your strongest on a certain type of tennis court surface?
Benjamin Lock- I prefer playing on Hard courts as I feel my game is more effective on quicker surfaces. There is no avoiding surfaces on the tour and even though I feel I play well on all surfaces I do try play more tournaments on hard court.
Courtney John Lock- Again, I prefer a fast-hard court as I grew up playing at very high altitude so I play my best tennis on that type of surface or grass court.
Thomas Price- Now Benjamin now you attempted to qualify for the Roland Garros Junior championship and the Junior championships, Wimbledon in 2011, but you lost the first round of the qualifying draw for both junior Grand Slams. Benjamin do you eventually hope to qualify for a Grand Slam for both singles and doubles in the near future and what Grand Slam do you think you will qualify for first the Australian Open, the Roland Garros, Wimbledon, or the US Open and would you love to compete in doubles at a Grand Slam with your brother Courtney? Courtney now you have never qualified for any junior Grand Slams now do you hope to qualify for your first Grand Slam this year and which one do you think you might have a chance at qualifying for first the Australian Open, the Roland Garros, Wimbledon, or the US Open ? Courtney now being the younger brother do you think your brother would be happy or a little bit jealous or both if you qualified for a Grand Slam before him?
Benjamin Lock- My goals are to be playing in the main draw of grand slams and so I do believe that this will happen. I cannot say which one I think I will qualify for first but I would love to make a big run at Wimbledon. I think it is the holy grail of tennis and it would be very special for me to play there. Playing doubles with Courtney in the slams will be the ultimate goal for me. Its something that motivates me everyday and is something that I know we will achieve.
Courtney John Lock- Making Grand slams have always been my ultimate dream as a young boy. I think the Australian open would be the first goal out of the 4. I would be more than delighted if my brother made it to the slams because of how hard he works.
Thomas Price- Tennis is not that big in Africa, but the two tennis players representing Africa are Kevin Anderson and Malek Jaziri what do you two think their of his success and would you both say they have created some impact on African tennis by creating awareness? Do you both think that you two, Keith Crowley, and Dean O’Brien could have an influence on the future of African tennis? Do you two consider yourselves, Dean O’Brien, and Keith Crowley as the big four of African tennis?
Benjamin Lock- I think that they have done an outstanding job. Both of them have been top 50 in the world and Kevin made the top 10. All the African players look at Kevin and Malek and use their success as motivation that they can do the same or better. I think that Keith, Dean, Courtney and myself are well established African tennis players but there are many other good African players who are doing exceptionally well (Harris, Safwat, Mammoun, Scholtz, Garanganga). I think Africa has a big group of talented players coming through which is very exciting.
Courtney John Lock- They have definitely helped put Africa on the map. I think there are a few more players coming up from Egypt and South Africa now which is great to see.
Thomas Price- Now Courtney I know you are big fan of sharing Bible verse on your Twitter and Instagram as you posted a picture on your Twitter of six sticky notes with Bible verse wrote them and you captioned the photo Waking up to these, gets me through the day! #trusthim. I want to you know how important is your Christian faith to both of you? Which one of you prays the most or shares more Bible scriptures on Instagram or Twitter? Benjamin what is your favorite Bible verse and why? Courtney what is your favorite Bible verse and why? Would you two say that your faith in God helps drive your tennis career?
Benjamin Lock- Our Christian faith is the foundation of our lives. We were raised in a Christian household and it is a huge part of our lives. If you are a Christian you learn that you develop your own relationship with God. I don’t keep track of how much Courtney prays or shares bible scriptures and I know he doesn’t keep track of my faith either. We are very outgoing and social people but our faith is the engine behind our lives. Personally for me, the tour can be very brutal and harsh but my faith is what keeps me positive, humble, and determined. My favorite verse is 1 John 4:4 which says, “ Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Courtney John Lock- No one is perfect and Benji and I both have our flaws but our faith is a big part of our lives. We like to put every struggle, triumph or daily issue in his hands and from a young age have recognized God as the pilot of our lives. Ultimately it is he who gives us our talents so it is our duty to honor that by doing everything in our power to use them.
Thomas Price- Now which one of you came up with the #Lockdown that you two use on your Twitter and Instagram and why?
Benjamin Lock- I think that I came up with the hashtag Lockdown. I thought it was a cool way to get a trend of my brother and I doing well in doubles. The Davis Cup website actually tweeted saying that they love the hashtag, so that was pretty cool.
Courtney John Lock- Benji did
Thomas Price- Now it is quite common for male professional tennis players who play doubles to coordinate their outfits all the way from the shirt to the shorts to the crew cut socks when playing tennis match. Can you two give me your opinion about the trend of wearing crew cut socks for the sport of tennis do you two thinks part of the fashion or just part of the tradition of tennis? What color socks do you two prefer to wear white, black, or both?
Benjamin Lock- I think crew socks have always been the acceptable dress code for tennis for a while now. Courtney and I always try to match our outfits as best as we can. I don’t think we have a preference on the color as long as there is good cushioning for the feet.
Courtney John Lock- We like to coordinate as much as we can when we play doubles. It varies but yes we both prefer crew socks and I think most tennis players do. Personally I prefer white socks.
Thomas Price- In addition, another trend that is popular among male tennis players is posting pictures of their clay-covered white socks with a caption like #Ihateclay after a practice session or match on a clay court and they occasionally post pictures of their grass-stained white socks on Instagram. Can you two give me a reason why this is a common trend done on the Instagram accounts of so many male tennis players? Now Benjamin I want to ask you that if you ever decided to take part in trend what captions would you use to describe your clay-covered white socks and grass-stained white socks and why? Okay Courtney if you had decided to take part in trend what captions would you use to describe your clay-covered white socks and grass-stained white socks and why?
Benjamin Lock- I can not tell you why there are so many pictures posted on social media about clay covered and grass stained socks but I can tell you that no tennis player enjoys destroying their white socks and seeing them covered in dirt. I probably wouldn’t take part in that trend as I feel posting a picture of my socks on Instagram or Twitter wouldn’t be the most scintillating post.
Courtney John Lock- I don’t really take part in those trends on social media but I think its part of the game playing on different surfaces.
Thomas Price- Now it is quite common for professional tennis players to change their shoes and socks in the middle of the match. How often do you two change your shoes and socks during a doubles match? In addition, how many pairs of clean socks do have in your bag at all times and what is the dirtiest your shoes and socks get when you play a doubles tennis match and does the amount of dirt on your socks and shoes determine how hard you two fought in the tennis match?
Benjamin Lock- Well this all depends on the conditions that we are playing in. Clay? Hard? Humidity, and temperature. Most of the time I will not change socks or shoes in a doubles match but in some scenarios where it has been really humid then I will change. I always have two extra pairs of socks in my bag.
Courtney John Lock- Yes I think it depends on the humidity and temperature of the area that you playing in. Because you definitely need to walk on the court with various pairs of socks and shirts if you are sweating a lot in a humid environment. I normally take two extra shirts, one pair of extra socks and a couple towels.
Thomas Price- Courtney now can you give three words to describe your brother Benjamin and explain why you chose those words? Benjamin now can you give three words to describe your brother Courtney and explain why you chose those words?
Benjamin Lock- Passion, determination, Competitor. He is one of the most passionate humans I have ever met. He is passionate about almost anything that he does and is always determined to achieve at the highest level. Along with these qualities is his will to win in everything that he does. He competes and fights so hard to win and achieve in everything that he does from Tennis matches to family card games. It is actually quite impressive.
Courtney John Lock- Benji is a fighter, charismatic and successful. He fights on the court harder than anyone I know and very competitive. He has a certain charisma about him and is very mature which is evident in how many friends he has. Throughout his whole life he has always managed to succeed at everything he has done which is admirable.
Thomas Price- Benjamin as of now what is your current rank by the Association of Tennis Professionals and where do you see yourself ranked by the Association of Tennis Professionals in the next five years? Courtney as of now what is your current rank by the Association of Tennis Professionals and where do you see yourself ranked by the Association of Tennis Professionals in the next five years?
Benjamin Lock- My current singles ATP ranking is 435 and my current doubles ranking is 317. In the next five years I would like to see myself top 100 in the world for both singles and doubles.
Courtney John Lock- I am 595 in the doubles ATP rankings and 1600 in the singles rankings. I still have to graduate college so I am looking forward to playing a full calendar year. Ideally I would like to be playing challengers for doubles in the next 3 years and progress from there to the ATP’s.
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