Brandon Holt, son of Tracy Austin, fends off rain-delay nightmare to secure US Open debut

WATCH: Holt's mom Tracy Austin has been talking tennis with him, his brothers, and the world as a longtime commentator.

NEW YORK—A rain delay can offer valuable time to regroup for a player on the verge of elimination. For Brandon Holt, the persistent drizzle was a total nuisance as he stood on the precipice of reaching the US Open main draw.

“When you’re a little kid or you’re on the outside, you think, ‘It’s just tennis,’ but it’s really stressful,” the American confessed after eventually dispatching Dimitar Kuzmanov, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. “During those rain delays, you almost don’t want to be playing tennis because it’s so stressful!”

The final interruption came shortly after Holt had narrowly missed out on a third match point opportunity as the Bulgarian nailed a backhand winner, the rain getting stronger with each passing second.

“That’s the one where, if I’d lost the match I would have lost sleep about it.”

The USC grad would get no sleep in the locker room either, worrying about a potential catastrophe at the end of a cat nap.

“At one point, I almost fell asleep, and I was laying down, feeling so tired and thinking, ‘Man, if I slept through my match, that would for sure go viral that this guy was up match point but got defaulted because he was asleep!’”

Holt held firm on resumption, shaking off a fourth missed match point to convert his fifth and earn a hug from a US Open celebrity in the stands: mom Tracy Austin.

She’s an unbelievable competitor, and even watching her do day-to-day things, it’s 100% or nothing. I’ve never seen her give anything less than 100%, whether it’s doing things for her family, which seems to be her favorite thing to do, because she’s always there for us...whether that’s in tennis or just playing a game of cards: she’s not going to lose and she’ll reach across the table and rip your heart out, but she’ll hug you after. Brandon Holt on mom Tracy Austin

“I think probably ‘I love you, something like that, ‘I’m so proud of you,’” he said of their post-match chat, “the same stuff she’d say if I’d just won a local match in a park somewhere. She’s always been a proud mom, to me and both of my brothers, as well.

Austin twice lifted the US Open title and has left a long legacy in the tennis world, as a player, coach, and commentator—all of which Holt can see and feel across the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with numerous tributes to his history-making mom.

“I’ve been coming here literally since I was a newborn baby. I’ve probably been here 20 times, so it’s definitely just normal for me to see. What I think about more is how when I was young, I would think about how cool it would be to play here. I was eating those Minute Maid lemonades watching the matches and thinking, ‘These guys are so good,’ while just hammering straight sugar. So, to be here playing is just so much fun. I see the kids watching and I was them, so it’s really cool to be out there playing.

“I don’t really feel very much pressure at all,” he adds. “In a lot of ways, it’s definitely an advantage to have her as my mom: she has great pointers and helps me out a lot to understand this sport, recovery, all the aspects of tennis, and also sports in general, the mental side of everything. She played at the highest level, so it’s definitely an advantage to have her, and that’s how I see it.

"I don’t know what it’d be like to have a mom that’s just an accountant or something.”

Where Austin has taught the game to a generation of viewers, Holt has had the opportunity to learn by direct example.

“I don’t think she’s really told me anything that sticks with me. I think it’s more just watching her play. She’s an unbelievable competitor, and even watching her do day-to-day things, it’s 100% or nothing. I’ve never seen her give anything less than 100%, whether it’s doing things for her family, which seems to be her favorite thing to do, because she’s always there for us.

“That’s the biggest thing that I’ve learned from her, whether that’s in tennis or just playing a game of cards: she’s not going to lose and she’ll reach across the table and rip your heart out, but she’ll hug you after.”

Holt honed his own competitive instincts in college, diverting from contemporaries like Sebastian Korda who, with the backing of his own tennis-playing parent Petr, joined the circuit in earnest in 2020.

“I don’t think I would have been ready at whatever age I went to college to be playing [on tour],” admits the 24-year-old. “I do think I would have gained a lot of experience and I’m a little behind the eight ball in starting now, but USC was amazing at development and everything like that, learning how to deal with pressure helps a lot in a team atmosphere. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I have a degree under my belt and I enjoyed the school aspect, as well. So, I’m really happy I went to school.”

His transition onto the pro tour suffered one last hiccup when he underwent surgery to repair a brutally injured wrist.

“I had no clue if my career was going to be over. It’s just a helpless feeling where, I didn’t know what it was but it was hurting like crazy and I wasn’t able to play. I couldn’t run or move because I would feel my heart beat in my hand. Even going into the surgery, it wasn’t a fool-proof thing, so to be able to not only be healthy but also playing my first Grand Slam main draw is amazing, amazing, amazing.

“I think it just gives you a new perspective when you’ve been out there for so long from the game you love. I went to watch Indian Wells, for example, while I was injured and I think I may have been in a cast. I was unsure if I’d even be able to play, and then sure enough, I played the next Indian Wells in qualifying, so that was a surreal thing.

“Now, to be here after such a short time playing, my professional career has really just started. So, I’m very happy, couldn’t be happier.”

Having made it through the rain in more ways than one, Holt’s career begins in earnest when he plays his first tour-level main draw match against No. 10 seed Taylor Fritz next week; he’s hoping for clear skies from here on out.