From Auckland to Düsseldorf
Mackenzie was born in Auckland, New Zealand, where he learned to play tennis. From a young age, he was one of the most successful players in his age groups at home. But he quickly realised that he had to move to Europe to pursue a professional career: “New Zealand and also Australia are islands, relatively large, but you often play against the same guys. In addition, tennis is not really a national sport, and the level is correspondingly not so high.”
At the age of 12, he moved to Germany together with his father. Today, he lives in Dusseldorf and trains at the prestigious Rochusclub. “We feel very welcome here and love being here. I already have a lot of friends,” Mackenzie explains. His mother supported him in making this decision, despite the great distance. During the Covid pandemic, he was unable to see her for about three years. “But it also made me tougher and shaped me for tennis,” he says in retrospect.
Mackenzie completed an intensive language course in just nine months and now speaks flawless German. His school career took him to a sports boarding school in Hanover, where he was roommates with Max Schoenhaus for three years. Since 2024, he has been fully based again in Dusseldorf. There he helped Rochusclub achieve two consecutive promotions – first to the Regionalliga and then to the 2. Bundesliga. His father is still his coach, and he also benefits from the support of the German Tennis Federation (DTB), for whose junior squad he plays.
