Austin was also a competitive water skiier, representing the U.S. Junior Water Ski Team in the Pan-American Championships in 1997. Was once ranked #3 in the World Junior Rankings list in the Tricks event and skied in the Junior U.S. Masters Championships twice.

Despite this, Austin had to undergo rigorous training to beef up his legs for the role of Jake Hammond in Wimbledon. He trained in Los Angeles with Murphy Jensen (1993 French Open Doubles champion with brother Luke) for two months and then went to London for a month and trained with Pat Cash (1987 Wimbledon champ) prior to filming his role.