Growing up on the Isle of Man I was always into sport, playing table tennis, golf and tennis as well as cycling. At under 12 level, I represented the island in all of these. But it was tennis that I decided to pursue, moving to Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre near Reading in England from the age of 12 to 14 to study the sport with a view to turning professional.
When I started competing across Europe some years later the realities of being a professional tennis player hit. Going from tournament to tournament meant always being on the road, so I had the idea to just stay on the road by getting a van to travel and sleep in. It not only gave me the means to get to the next tournament, but also helped keep costs down because at that point, if you get knocked out in the first round of a tournament, you may only earn around between 60 and 80 Euros.
My dad and uncle are builders, restoring houses, so I grew up around vans. My dad always said that if you want a van, then buy a Ford as they’re reliable. It’s something my brother, who’s a carpenter, and my sister, who has a mobile dog grooming business, both listened to as they currently both have Transits.
I ended following his advice too and went with my dad to an auction, picking up a 2012 Ford Transit. He made a wooden frame in the back for a single mattress, and with my tennis racket stringing machine and a simple gas cooker I was ready to go.
“ Going from tournament to tournament meant always being on the road, so I had the idea to just stay on the road by getting a van to travel and sleep in.”Billy Harris, professional tennis player
On the road
I remember starting in France in the winter. When I woke up in the morning I had to scrape ice off the inside of the roof. Then I went to Spain where it was really hot and I had to deal with condensation. But after I insulated the van it was much better. People did wonder whether sleeping in a van was a wise idea when preparing for matches, but I always slept really well. Perhaps it helps because you’re getting plenty of fresh air as you’re outside a lot.
I’d often pitch up at tennis clubs to stay overnight, but I would also just park up on the side of the road or in fast food restaurant car parks. If it was ever too noisy, I could always just drive to a different spot. I remember stopping for a night right by the cathedral in the middle of Brussels, which I’m not sure I’d do now.
Most of the time I’d cook for myself too, unless it was raining and then I’d try to find somewhere cheap to get a meal. You can’t really cook on the gas ring outside in the rain. I’d go to a supermarket and buy 40 packs of rice and 40 tins of tuna, then cook the rice with an egg in a frying pan, add the tuna and then some soy and sweet chilli sauces. I’d eat out of the frying pan and just wipe it clean ready for the next meal. You certainly learn how to live as simply as possible.
Apart from people sometimes asking me to move on in the morning I never really had any issues, maybe a few strange looks when I was restringing my racket with the pretty big stringing machine outside of the van. Only once, in London, where I woke up to the sound of people trying to get into the van did I ever have any real trouble. When I beat on the side of the van from inside they soon ran off. I can imagine they weren’t expecting that!
And the highs definitely outweighed the lows though. Camping in Portugal at the top of cliffs with views over to Morocco was amazing. I also had to drive from Barcelona to Poland and go through Switzerland, but as I didn’t have a motorway pass ended up going through all the windy mountain roads. Sleeping by lakes and waking up to stunning scenery definitely made me thankful I’d been forced to take the scenic route.
The next level
I covered over 100,000 miles in the van travelling to Spain, France, Poland, Germany, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Belgium more times that I can count, and never had a single issue with the van. I guess my dad was right about Ford vans being reliable. As my career has progressed though, and the tournaments have become further and further apart, I’ve had to start travelling in a more conventional way.
It’s definitely not the same as you usually arrive at an airport, go to a hotel, compete and then head onto the next one without really seeing the country. In the van it felt like I actually experience the countries and met so many different people. And there was just a lot of freedom; if I lost a tournament I didn’t have to hang around, I could just get in the van and get away.
But travelling is still one of the great things about being a professional. It continues to take me to Australia, the US and places like Thailand as I aim to break into the top 100 in the world rankings. My current best is 101st, and if I break into the top 100 then I’ll be in all the Grand Slam main draws. That’s my goal.
The next step in my journey is qualifying for the big grass court tournaments this summer, and I have an all-electric Ford Capri1 to use while I’m in the UK, which is great. I’ve never driven an electric car before so it should be interesting to experience. And it looks really cool in black. I may have to take it back to the Isle of Man to test it on the roads there too. It’s a long way from my old Transit, but that van will always be special for playing such a big part of my journey to becoming a professional tennis player.
Billy Harris is a British tennis professional
1Up to 463 km driving range based on full charge of Capri RWD standard range. Estimated range using Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP). Figures shown are for comparability purposes and should only be compared with other vehicles tested to the same technical procedures. Actual range varies due to factors such as temperature, driving behaviour, route profile, vehicle maintenance, lithium-ion battery age and condition.
