Tennis nomad Scott Duncan happy for rare trip home to defend Glasgow Challenger title
'You've got to do a lot of networking and it makes sense to not make too many enemies,' says the Scot with a laugh, acknowledging that a relationship that works well off the court is always likely to function smoother on it. 'So much of it is obviously how you get on off court as well because you've got to spend so much time with the guy.'
Duncan embodies the peripatetic lifestyle, spending up to 41 weeks of the year travelling from country to country looking to collect wins, points and trophies to bolster his global ranking. It is not always glamorous as the 30-year-old concedes. On the weeks that the tour provides and pays for the accommodation, like the past fortnight in Tenerife, it usually means nice beachfront hotels with the best of facilities.
The weeks, though, when it is the players themselves having to fund their own travel and accommodation it often means a more frugal existence to try to keep costs down and to maximise any income. Duncan naturally enjoys being pampered – who wouldn't? - but has no problem with slumming it a bit when he has to.
'For ATP challengers, they sort and pay your accommodation until you are out of the tournament,' he reveals. 'But for [ITF] Futures, you pay your own way. So, for example, me and James MacKinlay in Sunderland recently, we got an Airbnb with one of my friends who is travelling with me as my coach. 'That helped with other costs as well because we can cook there and things like that. At the Challengers, it's great because your accommodation is paid for but you've got to eat out all the time. So, there are still expenses there but just in a different way.
'Travel days I find actually pretty easy. You know, you just stick on Netflix and download stuff on your phone. I've never really struggled with that side of it but I know it's not the easiest for a lot of people.'
The University of Stirling graduate is no stranger to the path less travelled, too. Last year he and his playing partner at the time, the American Hunter Reese, spent three months touring South America, turning out in tournaments in Peru, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay and gathering eclectic life experiences along the way.
'It was actually really cool,' he confirms. 'I really enjoyed it. A couple of places were interesting, shall we say. We played in Guayaquil in Ecuador and they had rolling blackouts. They were without power in some places for something like 12 hours a day. 'But all the clubs in South America were lovely. They were all based in very affluent areas. But I wanted to just see how the tournaments were out there. You come across the same faces all the time if you're playing a lot in Europe. So, I thought I'd go out there and try against different opposition guys, guys I didn't really know and different conditions and things like that.'
Unsurprisingly for someone so open-minded, Duncan has also been willing to give padel a go. Not every tennis traditionalist has welcomed the arrival of this relatively new racket alternative (in this country at least) but Duncan is a fan.
'I love playing padel with my friends and family. I played in the Scottish Cup final when the boys were struggling for a team and the message went out. Luckily I was home so I just said I would try and help. They know I'm not the best padel player because there are differences to tennis, but I'm fit and healthy and was happy to compete hard.
'I think the crossover with tennis and padel is probably good for both. Padel is probably a little bit easier, because you don't have to cover such a distance and the ball doesn't go that far. So, if you can get into padel you can have a go at tennis. But if you play tennis you can definitely play padel.'
Duncan is on a rare stop home this week when he defends his Glasgow Challenger title, a tournament run by Tennis Scotland at Scotstoun.
'I always really liked playing in Glasgow,' he confirms. 'It's always nice to play at home as well. I travelled, I think, 41 weeks of the year last year and only played one event in Scotland. So it's always nice to go home and to play in front of family and friends.'
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