{"id":276636,"date":"2026-02-02T09:10:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T09:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/276636\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T09:10:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T09:10:07","slug":"charlie-barry-the-fact-my-davis-cup-debut-for-ireland-is-at-home-in-limerick-makes-it-extra-special","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/276636\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Barry: &#8220;The fact my Davis Cup debut for Ireland is at home in Limerick makes it extra special&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>LIMERICK man <a href=\"https:\/\/www.limerickleader.ie\/section\/245\/sport\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Charlie Barry<\/a> will follow in his brother Sam&#8217;s footsteps when he makes his Davis Cup debut for Ireland next weekend at UL, as Colm Kinsella writes:<\/p>\n<p>WHEN did you begin playing tennis, Charlie?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI started playing tennis at a very young age. I must\u2019ve been about three or four when I first picked up a racket. We live very close to Limerick Lawn Tennis Club (LLTC) and my brother Sam who is 10 years older than me was already taking it very seriously by then.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just completely fell in love with it. I spent a lot of my childhood down in LLTC playing tennis and having a laugh with my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>READ NEXT:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.limerickleader.ie\/news\/hurling\/2002822\/pictures-university-of-limerick-supporters-turn-out-in-force-for-fitzgibbon-cup-quarter-final-clash-with-ucc.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">PICTURES: University of Limerick supporters turn out in force for Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final clash with UCC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>When did it become obvious that you had the talent to play at an elite level?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was only in the last few years that it became obvious to me that I can give pro tennis a real shot. While I was at Memphis during my last year of college tennis in the US I started having some results that gave me more than enough confidence that my game will translate to the professional level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil then it was mostly just about trying to get to the level where I can play Division 1 tennis in the USA so I can get an education while continuing to play the sport I love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How much of an influence did your older brother Sam, who was also a professional tennis player, have on you ?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSam has always had a huge influence on my tennis journey. He\u2019s always someone I\u2019ve looked up to. We are very similar, everything I\u2019ve gone through he\u2019s done it 10 years before me, so he always offers great advice and has always steered me in the right direction. I definitely would not be in the position I am in without all he\u2019s done for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tell me about Kilroy School and how it allowed you develop and improve your tennis?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI went to Ardscoil Ris until after I completed my Junior Cert exams. It became clear that although I was enjoying living a normal enough life my goal of going to a top Division 1 school in the US for tennis would not be possible if I stayed on the same track.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI made the brave decision to move to Spain to have access to a much higher standard of training and competition. I enrolled in Kilroy College which is an online\/homeschool and got grinds when I was back home off of mostly 1st and 2nd year college students who were living locally to help me with the Leaving Certificate material while I was home. I sat the Leaving Cert and completed my SAT exams (Final high school exams for the USA in order to go to college) in 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After second level, you went to Tulane University in New Orleans? Did you find it much of a change?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s definitely quite a culture shock moving over to America. I struggled with the work load in the very beginning. There\u2019s definitely a teething period which I think a lot of international student athletes experience in their first semester.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStrength and conditioning from 6-7am in the weights room, eating on the go while rushing across campus for your 8am class. 8am-11am attending class at the business school. Tennis practice plus post practice conditioning from 1pm to 4pm-4:30pm, back on campus for 5pm.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPost practice recovery\/physio treatment if you\u2019re carrying any injuries. Then catch up on any work plus homework and study for upcoming exams in the evenings. It was completely hectic in the beginning but you learn to manage your time better and be efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How long did you spend in Tulane?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spent three and a half years at Tulane. I graduated with a degree in Marketing<\/p>\n<p>You then went to University of Memphis and studied a Masters of Business Administration?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes I did an MBA at the university of Memphis. After I graduated from Tulane I transferred schools to do a Masters elsewhere. Going to Memphis was one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made for myself personally and also my tennis career.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI arrived with the goal of enjoying one more year of tennis not knowing if I would play after and left with an MBA and the confidence to that I can compete at the highest level in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What are the stand-out memories for you playing NCAA tennis?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompeting as a team is so enjoyable. You\u2019re playing alongside your best friends. The craic, the bus rides to practice with the guys, the team dinners. All the simple daily stuff is the part you miss most. College tennis is very unique and it\u2019s only growing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many top players on the tour now have played NCAA tennis. College tennis gives you the opportunity to compete a lot against very high quality players. It\u2019s a good way to measure your success and level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How long are you playing ITF tennis?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI turned professional in January 2025 after graduating and completing my MBA in Memphis in December 2024. So I\u2019m just starting my second year on tour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year I won four professional events at ITF level and started the year winning another title. I\u2019m climbing up the rankings step by step.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Can you give me an idea of your schedule of tournaments for 2026?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis year I plan to play about 30 tournaments. I\u2019ll always try and play the best event I can get into as there is more opportunity there for points and prize money. I\u2019m closing in on the top 300 so it\u2019s very difficult to tell you exactly what I\u2019ll be playing at this stage. I\u2019m mostly just focused on improving, developing my skills and to let the results take care of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We are only at the end of January and have already played in France along with Egypt and Germany?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIncluding a layover in Istanbul, I\u2019ve already been to seven countries this year. There\u2019s definitely a lot of travel required especially when my training weeks as well as tournaments are abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How much of a support team do you have with you on the circuit?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDave O\u2019Hare is my coach. He\u2019s coached at the highest level of the game and has been a huge help for me. He&#8217;s from Dublin, but lives in London, so whenever I can I head over to him and get training weeks in. Between himself and my brother Sam I think I\u2019m in quite good hands to help fulfil my potential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Does it take time to get used to the hectic ITF schedule, airports, hotels, travel etc?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYep, absolutely, it\u2019s another huge transition. In college you have all the resources you need. You have teammates to practice with, two to three coaches to guide you. A strength and conditioning coach with a world class gym. Nutritionist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhysiotherapist. Trainers. Everything. And then all of a sudden you\u2019re out there on your own with your rackets and a dream. There\u2019s always so much uncertainty, where you\u2019re going, who you\u2019re playing with, how you\u2019re getting there. You get used to it though and it\u2019s just part of the sport at this stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m 300 in the world without a set partner. You have to roll with the punches and take every challenge face on, because there are plenty of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How excited were you to get the call to play in the Davis Cup match in UL?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClass. It was obviously a very proud day. The moment I had to myself when I read the email and saw that I was selected was very special. I let my family know straight away and when it was announced online I got so many kind messages of support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that my first one will be in Limerick makes it that bit more special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Your brother Sam obviously also played Davis Cup for Ireland too. Not many families achieve the feat. It&#8217;s a special achievement?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s amazing really to think about it. Tennis has been a huge part of our lives and in turn my parents lives as they did everything they possibly could to support us. It\u2019ll be a very proud day for the whole family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How much of a thrill will it be to have a Davis Cup match back in Limerick?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s incredibly exciting. It\u2019s not everyday you get to represent your country in your home town. It\u2019s such an incredible opportunity. You can\u2019t take days like that for granted and I certainly won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fact the tie is in Limerick should have a really positive impact on junior tennis players in the region and beyond?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s ideal isn\u2019t it. It\u2019s a great opportunity for juniors to see the game and watch international tennis on their doorstep. Watching the Davis Cup really inspired me as a kid so I hope it can do the same for others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What are your hopes for 2026, ambitions for your career on the court?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep getting better one day at a time. Make more strides towards the top of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LIMERICK man Charlie Barry will follow in his brother Sam&#8217;s footsteps when he makes his Davis Cup debut&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":276637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,1396,43],"class_list":["post-276636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-limerick","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}