International student-athletes make up a large part of Division I athletics. The NCAA has reported that nearly 25,000 international students make up collegiate athletics.
Yet, one sport holds the highest percentage of international student-athletes — men’s tennis, with international students making up 64% of athletes in the collegiate sport.
Eight of Quinnipiac’s men’s tennis squad are international students, with 12 athletes in total on the team. It has athletes from across the globe, coming from the Czech Republic, India, Hungary, Sweden, Germany and New Zealand.
“You sort of understand where they’re coming from,” sophomore Carlos Braun Simo from Munich, Germany said. “The feeling of, coming to a new place. Most of us have been to the U.S., maybe once or twice, but never lived here. I understood how the freshman felt because I had the same feelings last year.”
Coming from different regions of the world, the international athletes have shared their experiences and stories, from playing tennis to moving to another country.
Despite not all having the same backgrounds and cultures, these shared experiences have allowed the international players to relate to and bond with one another.
“Also interesting to see how similar some of our lives have been, like (freshman) Elias (Hoxha) and I, coming from neighboring countries, it’s funny to compare how we grew up, and same with (freshman) Carl (Sjoholm,)” Simo said. “So that obviously brings you together a little bit. And I think just in general, we all understand, you know, being away from your family is tough, and we use each other as a support system.”
The international athletes have also found ease in living in the U.S. through their American teammates. Despite there only being four American-born athletes on the squad, they have greatly helped their international teammates by understanding their unique circumstances and helping them with anything.
One teammate in particular has been senior Yashin Laskin, who has displayed a big brother persona for the younger international athletes off the court.
“I think our senior captain, Yasha, who’s from Cheshire, which is like 10 minutes down the road from here, has been really special,” sophomore Finn Burridge from New Zealand said. “I know both Carlos and I have been over to the house for dinner multiple times, and every year, the family will host us as a whole team.”
Laskin and graduate student Donovan Brown have helped the international athletes with all things, from finding the best place to get a haircut to getting groceries. They have even displayed a great understanding of the obstacles that come with living in a foreign country.
“Yasha was super aware of the fact that as an international student, as a freshman or as a sophomore, you probably won’t have a car here,” Simo said. “All of them are super aware of just what our situation is, and helped a lot to keep the bond strong between each other.”
Not only has coming to Quinnipiac introduced the international Bobcats to new athletes, but they have also been introduced to different playing styles, ways of coaching and overall game play.
With tennis being such an internationally played sport, each country teaches athletes in slightly different ways. Competing at the collegiate level allows each athlete’s unique talent to be put on display while also providing a challenging component to opponents.
“Meeting Carlos last year and (graduate student) Daniel (Velek) who played a lot on, like, red clay, which is not something we have in New Zealand, was different because it was a different style of tennis,” Burridge said. “And I think it helps player development just having also being able to have those conversations about, ‘What can you do here? How can I adjust?’”
In their second season with the Bobcats, Burridge and Simo have been doubles partners, ending the 2023-24 campaign with a record of 13-10. And, despite being separated by thousands of miles, Burridge and Simo have found that their international background has brought them together, on and off the court.
“In Switzerland, we play doubles, not a lot, so I used to always keep everything pretty, pretty basic, pretty simple, and it works,” Simo said. “But we’ve been playing together for a year and a half now, and it’s cool to, you know, bounce around ideas, try new things, try things.”
On the court, the two different playing styles have helped Burridge and Simo grow as athletes, integrating different features of each other’s game to help out the other. This combination has allowed the two to experiment with their strategies and come out on top against their opponents.
“We’ve been more experimental, but there’s a lot of trust there, and I think that trust has been earned over the last year and a half, and it’s a nice relationship to have with someone in the same class as you as well,” Burridge said.
Off the court, having class and living together has allowed the men to grow their bond outside of the sport of tennis.
“There’s not forced brotherhood,” Burridge said. “It’s pretty special.”
