Hugh [left] and Ed [right] Winter celebrate a doubles victory against Columbia University on March 20 at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. This was their second nationally ranked win and earned the pair WCC Doubles Team of the Week. Photo courtesy of Pepperdine Athletics
Junior Ed Winter and sophomore Hugh Winter share more than just a last name — they also share a spot on the Pepperdine Men’s Tennis team.
What began with a little brotherly competition has grown into something neither said they expected: competing side by side for one of the nation’s top collegiate programs. The brothers have learned what it means to be both family and teammates, pushing each other to new heights on and off the court.
“They [Ed and Hugh] both have just incredibly high character,” said Adam Schaechterle, Pepperdine’s director of tennis and head coach. “They are respectful of coaching, they are excellent teammates, really loyal friends and a lot of fun to be with on and off the court.”
A steady force at the top of the Waves’ lineup, Ed Winter has built an impressive collegiate resume. In the 2024-25 season, he climbed as high as No. 19 in the national singles rankings and No. 43 in doubles. The two-time All-WCC First Team honoree was also awarded 2024 WCC Freshman of the Year and ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
It was Ed Winter’s sophomore year when Hugh Winter joined the team and quickly made his own mark. A former Australia representative at the 2022 Junior Davis Cup and two-time competitor in the Junior Australian Open, Hugh Winter was an effective doubles specialist in his true freshman season, playing most frequently with his brother and adding depth to the roster, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Unexpected Reunion
Ed Winter — the oldest brother — was the first to pick up a racquet between the two. His excitement for the game quickly spread to Hugh Winter, who was eager to play with his brother. Having someone else to practice with made it easy for tennis to become a regular part of their lives, Ed Winter said.
“We played in the backyard at home quite a lot,” Ed Winter said. “We didn’t have a court, but we had a little cement patch. I started taking lessons, and Hugh after that.”
Ed Winter gave his brother a front-row seat on how to develop as a player and the steps to take to set himself up for success on the court, Hugh Winter said.
“Watching Ed play, I was able to see what he was doing and how to get where he was going,” Hugh said. “It was a good way of seeing what I needed to do to get there myself.”
As the years passed, their backyard rallies evolved into national tournaments across Australia. Ed Winter began competing seriously around age 11, traveling around the country for junior events. Hugh Winter followed suit a couple of years later as his own game began to take shape, Ed said.
The brothers said their parents were constant supporters, making countless sacrifices to keep both boys on the court.
“We wouldn’t be here without them,” Ed Winter said. “Their support has been massive. They did so much for us, always coming out to watch us play when they could.”
The pair kept an open mind about where tennis might take them, but when they discovered the support of Pepperdine’s program, they said the choice was easy.
“For me, it was completely due to the coaches,” Ed Winter said. “Adam [Schaechterle] was the head coach at the time and still is. He is the biggest reason why I’m here. I thought the guys on the team were really genuine and hard workers, and it felt like the right place to be.”
When Hugh Winter began his own college search a few years later, he didn’t set out to follow in his brother’s footsteps. But he said the more he learned about Pepperdine, the more it started to feel like home for him as well.
“It was kind of a no-brainer decision for me,” Hugh Winter said. “I had a good connection with all the guys that I met and the coaches. I felt like this was going to be the best place for me to improve.”
The brothers said they never anticipated ending up as teammates, but looking back, it’s cool that it played out the way it did.
“I definitely didn’t imagine it,” Ed Winter said. “It honestly didn’t even cross my mind. When Hugh was looking at schools, I thought he’d end up somewhere else.”
Hugh Winter said he was equally as surprised when he ended up in Malibu.
“I didn’t expect it either,” Hugh said. “When I started looking at colleges, I was thinking I wasn’t going to go to the same school. I think it kind of just happened in a nice way.”
Ed Winter said it was an adjustment having his brother as a teammate at first, although it quickly felt natural due to the family-like culture Pepperdine’s team has built.
“Having your brother on the team was just different,” Ed Winter said. “But I look at it as, we’re so close as a team and at a place where I view all my teammates as brothers, so it felt like a natural fit to have Hugh here anyway.”
While the pair have always shared something special, becoming teammates has only added an extra layer to the connection, Ed Winter said.
“We’ve been able to grow closer since Hugh joined here,” Ed said. “We lived across the world for a year, so just seeing each other on a day-to-day basis has been super nice. We even have classes together and can definitely get competitive with who’s getting the better grade. I’ll be honest, it is usually me, but he’s getting there.”
For Hugh Winter, stepping into a team his brother was already a part of made for a smoother transition into the intensity of college athletics. It also strengthened the connection between the Winters and the coaching staff, something Schaechterle said is an important part of the job for him.
“I am a very relational coach, and I enjoy developing long-term, lifelong relationships with my players,” Schaechterle said. “Coaching both boys has provided an opportunity to really get to know the Winter family. I’ve really enjoyed that, and our families have gotten close.”
Chemistry on the Court
Practicing together has always brought out their best and sometimes, their most competitive sides, the brothers said.
“Any time we match up in practice, there’s a little added tension,” Ed Winter said. “There’s pressure of not wanting to lose to your brother. We both want to win badly, but I think that intensity is great for us. The guys enjoy the sibling rivalry too. I pay Hugh out a lot and Hugh pays me out, and I think they [teammates] like that humor.”
The Winters’ competitiveness shows up just as much in everyday life as it does during matches, Schaecterle said.
“They enjoy giving each other a hard time,” Schaecterle said. “I’ll hear them coming into the locker room and talking trash about who scored higher on an exam, and they do the same thing playing doubles.”
Schaechterle said there was a time when the competition may have gone a bit too far and an argument ensued.
“The entire team stopped training and looked at me like, ‘How are you going to handle this?’” Schaechterle said. “Knowing them, I sensed it was not as serious as everyone was making it seem, but we do a little punishment called star jumps, where you have to jump up and down and yell, ‘I’m a star.’ I had them hold hands and do star jumps up the staircase behind the courts. The entire team was dying laughing as they held hands, yelling ‘I’m a star’ all the way up the stairs.”
When the brothers share the same side of the net, though, that intensity transforms into something special. Last March, the duo was named WCC Doubles Team of the Week after a standout performance against Columbia University, according to Pepperdine Athletics
“Playing in that match was a lot of fun,” Hugh Winter said. “We both played really well, and everything was going our way. All our hard work really came together.”
Even when things are clicking for both of them, neither brother wants to take the credit.
“If I were to be honest, all I had to do was stand there and let Hugh do most of the work that night,” Ed Winter said. “I think that award was probably mostly his.”
Even with their success, playing doubles with your brother brings about its own challenges, Ed Winter said.
“When you win, it’s a ton of fun because we have chemistry together that’s just natural,” Ed Winter said. “But then sometimes, when it’s not clicking and one of us is down, it can bring the other down a bit more than if you were playing with someone who is not your brother.”
That connection doesn’t stop when they’re not playing as partners either. Emotions can run high from the stands, Ed Winter said.
“Watching Hugh, I get super nervous,” Ed Winter said. “I’m much more nervous than if anyone else is playing, or even if it’s me playing, I just really want him to do well.”
Beyond the Game
Both brothers said they take great pride in representing not only Pepperdine, but also their home country.
“There’s nothing better than representing the ‘green and gold’ as we call it back home,” Hugh Winter said. “Any time that you get to represent your country, it’s really special and something that you value a lot.”
Ed and Hugh Winter said they have their eyes set on ambitious goals for the upcoming season. As a team, the brothers said they’re aiming for a top-16 finish: a milestone that would allow Pepperdine to host first and second round matches of the NCAA Team Championship in Malibu and then to make a run in the tournament.
Both said they believe this team is more than capable of doing just that. Now in a leadership role, focus goes beyond just results for Ed Winter, but being the best captain he can be. For Hugh Winter, his target is to demonstrate improvement and break into more singles matches.
Not only has being teammates been fun for Ed and Hugh, but Schaechterle said he has also enjoyed watching their growth.
“The real joy for me has been seeing them both develop confidence in themselves and in their own unique personalities,” Schaechterle said. “They both have, on and off the court, developed new levels of confidence as people and in completely different ways, and so as a coach, that’s just been a really fulfilling process.”
When asked what it means to share this journey, both paused.
“It’s quite surreal,” Ed Winter said. “We’re surrounded by good people and a great team. We’re just super fortunate. It’s not something I’d ever imagined I’d be able to do with Hugh, and yet here we are.”
While tennis is often played as an individual sport, Ed and Hugh Winter serve as a reminder that some of the most meaningful moments are shared with others.
To listen to Ed Winter’s appearance on Sports Waves, click here.
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Contact Addison Thomas via email: addison.thomas@pepperdine.edu