Martin Sayer
Virginia Tech assistant men’s tennis coach Martin Sayer, who was the greatest men’s tennis player in Radford University history, has died at the age of 36.
Sayer died Tuesday. Virginia Tech announced his death Wednesday.
“Martin was an awesome guy,” Hokies men’s tennis coach Jim Thompson said in a phone interview. “A great coach. … He was an unbelievable player, world class.
“I spent a ton of time with him over the years. Hard to imagine life without him going forward.”
Sayer died at home in his sleep, according to Virginia Tech.
Martin Sayer (center), who died Tuesday, had been a Virginia Tech assistant men’s tennis coach since 2016. He was Radford University’s women’s tennis coach before joining the Tech program.
“He was having some stomach issues, I think, and didn’t feel great this [past] weekend,” Thompson said. “I don’t think anybody knows at this point [why he died].”
Sayer was the head women’s tennis coach at Radford University before stepping down in January 2016 to become a Tech men’s assistant coach.
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“He cared about the kids,” Thompson said. “Just an unbelievable person.
“A great eye for tennis. He could see things in people, weaknesses or strengths, and ways to maybe improve.
“He wasn’t a man of a million words. When he did say something, it was very impactful and very meaningful. He’s played a huge role in all our guys’ lives and careers.”
Thompson said the Tech players are “extremely sad.”
Martin Sayer (center), who died Tuesday, had been an assistant men’s tennis coach at Virginia Tech since 2016.
Sayer reaped a full scholarship to Radford University after then-Radford coach Mike Anderson e-mailed a coach in Hong Kong in an attempt to find recruits. That coach recommended Sayer — a blond kid with a British accent, but a native of Hong Kong nevertheless. Sayer was one of the top players in Hong Kong at that time.
“Hong Kong is not the biggest country in the world, so there’s only about 10 players who can play tennis at a decent level,” Sayer told The Roanoke Times with a smile in 2009, when he was a Radford senior. “There are a lot of tennis courts, but nobody’s very good. I’m maybe the best.”
Sayer’s parents are natives of England. They had moved to Hong Kong a few years before Sayer was born — back when Hong Kong was still a British territory — because Sayer’s father got an engineering job there.
Sayer competed in the junior tournaments of all four Grand Slam events.
Sayer won a school-record 114 singles matches at Radford University from 2005-09. He was a four-time Big South player of the year, winning the Big South singles crown in each of his four RU seasons. He was the first nationally ranked player in the program’s history.
“He’s as mentally tough as any player playing the game,” Anderson told The Roanoke Times in 2009.
Martin Sayer, shown at a Radford University practice in 2009, won a school-record 114 singles matches in his Radford career. He was a four-time Big South men’s tennis player of the year.
Sayer advanced to the NCAA singles championships in all four of his Radford seasons. He won his first-round match in two of those four NCAA tournament appearances. He was one of just two Big South players to ever win in the NCAA singles tournament, and the only Big South player to win in the NCAAs in straight sets.
“One of the greatest players to ever go to Radford,” Thompson said. “A fantastic player but a better person.”
Sayer considered his knack for anticipation to be one of his strong suits.
“I can slightly see where they’re going to hit the ball, and it gives me a little bit more time to prepare and get into the position to play that shot,” he told The Roanoke Times in 2009.
Sayer and Zack Watson advanced to the NCAA doubles championships in 2009, becoming the first Radford doubles tandem to ever make the NCAAs. Sayer had 65 doubles wins in his RU career.
Sayer helped the Radford team win the first three Big South tournament championships in the history of the RU men’s tennis program. Those years (2007, 2008 and 2009) also marked the team’s first three NCAA tournament appearances.
Sayer, a 2009 RU graduate, made the Big South men’s tennis all-decade team for the 2000s.
“He knows the game so well. He knows it better than I do,” Anderson said in 2009.
Former Radford University standout Martin Sayer, shown competing in the Roanoke Valley Invitational Tennis Tournament in 2010, was a Davis Cup player for Hong Kong from 2005-11.
Sayer also played for Hong Kong’s Davis Cup team from 2005-11, going 15-5 in singles and doubles combined.
He began his coaching career as an assistant for the Radford men’s team, helping the Highlanders while pursuing his MBA.
After serving as a Radford men’s assistant for two seasons, Sayer spent two years as an instructor at the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy in South Carolina.
He became an assistant for the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team in 2012.
Sayer left the Tech women’s staff in 2014 to return to Radford as its head women’s tennis coach.
“This position opened up and I couldn’t say no,” Martin Sayer told The Roanoke Times in 2015. “I just really like the university. Like, I’m almost in love with it.”
Martin Sayer (center) is shown in 2015 with (from left), his mother, Jenny, his sister, Natalie, his brother Nicholas, and his father, Paul. Martin, Nichols and Natalie all played tennis for Radford University.
Two of Sayer’s siblings also played for Radford. His younger brother Nicholas played for the Highlanders when Martin Sayer was an assistant coach for the team. Their younger sister, Natalie, played for Radford when Martin Sayer was the school’s women’s tennis coach.
Martin Sayer is also survived by his wife and their 5-year-old son.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sayer family and everyone impacted by the devastating loss of one our own,” Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock said in Tech’s announcement of Sayer’s death. “Martin was a beloved member of our athletics family whose passion for tennis and unwavering commitment to our student-athletes were undeniable. His legacy will live on through the countless lives he impacted, both at Virginia Tech and Radford.”
