Illinois junior Chris Martin sat poised above court two at the Atkins Tennis Center on Saturday morning, but remained uncharacteristically quiet. Martin, usually one of the most vocal members of the Illinois men's tennis team had to remain neutral — his older brother David was challenging his teammate, Evan Zeder, for a chance to remain in the qualifying rounds of the Northwestern Mutual USTA Challenger.

This isn't the first time the Martins have had to remain neutral in a competitive environment. Illinois faced David's Stanford squad in May in Athens, Ga., during the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

"It was hard, losing in the semifinals in a close match," David said. "I'm kind of disappointed looking back, but watching my brother win and pull through when it was down to him was good."

The tournament also put the Martins' parents in an unusual position. Both Scott and Jeanette Martin were at the NCAA tournament, watching their sons contend for one of the most important titles of their young careers.

David had been part of Stanford's NCAA title winning team as a freshman. Chris still didn't have a championship ring. David had qualified for the singles and doubles tournaments following the team contest. If Chris lost, he would return to Champaign.

"I'm sure it was probably pretty hard for them," Chris said. "My dad was really nervous, because he didn't know (who would win). My mom just stayed really quiet. I think it would have been hard for them either way. I think they wanted Dave to win his match, and they wanted me to win my match. Whoever won, they wanted their team to win the finals."

The Illini defeated the Cardinals 4-2, with Chris tallying the final point in defeating Carter Morris 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. The next night, Illinois narrowly edged Vanderbilt to take the 2003 NCAA team title. Once again, Chris shouldered the responsibility of scoring the last point—but this time he had his entire family supporting him.

"I think that was the first time my entire family was there to watch a tournament in years," Chris said. "That was cool because that was my coming out as a college tennis player. I'm happy that I was able to experience that with them, especially when David started leading Illinois cheers through my match."

Since his graduation in the spring, David has joined the ATP Tour and has taken a different outlook on college sports.

"I'm becoming more of an Illinois fan," David said. "Now, we're not competing against each other and that takes a lot of the pressure off."

Despite their competitive nature, the men have only played each other a few times, mostly in local tournaments, which neither of them enjoy.

"We just take it as another match," Chris said. "It's not going to affect our relationship."

There are few things that could interfere with the duo's friendship.

"David's been a huge influence in my tennis career," Chris said. "Just watching him play and seeing the things he's done has always made me push myself. He's been an inspiration on and off the court, and is someone that I aspire to be like."

David was a three-time All-American at Stanford, in both singles and doubles. He reached the semifinals of the NCAA doubles tournament three times, advancing to the finals in 2000. Off the court, he excelled as well, being named to First Team Pac-10 All-Academic squad for his 3.72 grade-point average while majoring in American Studies.

"I hope I influenced (Chris and younger sister Julie) for the better," David said. "I hope whatever I did helped them out. I was just having fun and playing tennis. They're both remarkable people on their own, and I'm sure that they could do it without me."

David influenced Chris, who had the highest grade-point average of any Illinois male athlete in his class last year. Chris has also developed his tennis game, qualifying for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Indoor Tournament in doubles this year and reaching the semifinals of the ITA Midwestern Regionals in singles. He also won the regional crown in doubles with Illinois senior Michael Calkins.

Chris is helping out his older brother too. David, who travels almost every week of the year, is staying with Chris throughout the tournament, which concludes this weekend.

"They keep their thermostat at 60 degrees in the apartment," David said. "I was sleeping on his futon in a stocking cap, gloves, a jacket and sweat pants (on Friday night). Other than that it's been fun though."

This is David's second trip to Champaign since May. In early July the brothers played at a Futures tournament in Peoria, Ill. David spent a few days preceding the tournament in Champaign.

"There's more people here now and a lot of tennis going on," David said. "It's fun to see the school with all the people and the student-life and all the energy, although it is a little colder."

David's professional career is just starting, but he's already well-aware of the benefits and drawbacks of competing at the highest level of competition. He still has yet to find a coach and has been in charge of his training since May.

"Just being able to travel around the world and get to see how other people live and realize how fortunate we are to live in America (is the best part of tennis)," David said. "You learn a lot of life skills traveling by yourself on the road. You grow and mature a lot very quickly."

Having a very sports-oriented family has eased that maturation process. Chris and David's father, Scott, played tennis and basketball at Oklahoma. Their mother, Jeanette, played tennis at Southern Methodist. Julie, the youngest Martin, plays tennis as well.

"I think having siblings that (travel) helps because you know what each other is going through and you can be supportive. Whereas if you're by yourself, you might get lonely or lost," David said. "My parents were learning too as they went along, because when they were growing up, junior tennis wasn't as big as it is now. But they were mellower, whereas parents now get a little more overly involved. I think my parents kept things in perspective."

The brothers will head their separate ways this spring. Chris still has two chances of claiming another NCAA championship ring, hoping to establish himself as a top collegiate player. David will continue to compete professionally, hoping to become one of the best players in the world.