Last Wednesday, I listened to Coach Silviu Tanasoiu talk about tennis and life in general. Going into the talk, I wasn’t sure how the talk would resonate with someone unfamiliar with how to actually play tennis, but his talk was so much more. He was so grateful for being able to give a talk, but by the end, I was grateful for getting a chance to hear his story and perspective on college athletes.

What was most inspiring for me to hear was his own story, growing up in Romania, falling in love with tennis, being selected to represent his country but having to rely on his family’s sacrifices for him to get to America to help grow his career. Throughout the entire talk, it was resoundingly clear that he was humbled and grateful for every experience and relationship that helped him get to where he is today. As he emphasized some of his important relationships with mentors, I found myself reflecting on everyone who has helped me out.

I also learned a lot about the demands of a student athlete. Not only is the tennis team really good at playing, but the team has an impressive average GPA and has members in diverse majors. At the beginning of the semester, they practically schedule their lives with practice and estimating how much time they need for each class in addition to getting enough sleep to play and travelling and competing.

What I found really interesting was to hear about recruiting from someone who devotes so much time to it. It’s nice to hear that he really cares about the team and the type of player that would fit in. He told a couple anecdotes about looking for talented players from across the world and spending hours talking with them, their families, and their coaches to learn about what types of people they are. And it’s not limited to a one time thing, but multiple visits and observing the player in practice and in competition to help really get a full understanding of how they are. When he mentioned that many players who want to become professionals and are reluctant to even go to school, fearing that it will hinder their skill development, I thought back to how proud he must be of each of them for excelling on the tennis court and in the classroom.

I really enjoyed listening to Coach Tanasoiu talk and it was a really interesting to learn more about what goes into student athletes, being humble and grateful for the opportunities and relationships you have, and being the best person you can be.