This is the United Nations of tennis. \nBut on the courts, countries dissolve, nationalities disappear and a new nation solely compromised of tennis players forms. A new language develops with words such as volley, backhand and baseline. The language has no accents, and all who step on the courts are automatically fluent.\nIt is these neutral courts that have given four freshmen a new life in a foreign country with a surrogate family of teammates, coaches and trainers.\nIn the fall of last year, they joined the IU women’s tennis team, a historic program with a veteran coach at a university that offers an array of majors and disciplines.\nThe four girls on the team are all foreign imports, adding to the Hoosiers’ international flavor and filling out their lineup.
The Arrival\nKatya Zapadalova, a striking blonde Russian, is not unlike some of her counterparts on the professional circuit. Unlike Maria Sharapova, Zapadalova is pursuing a degree. Her entrance to the U.S. has not been without difficulty. Struggling with the language was only her first problem. Zapadalova and her French teammate, Myriam Sopel, comforted each other as they both worked to improve their English. \n“When we came here, me and Myriam were like (speaking) zero English,” Zapadalova said. “ The first two weeks, we would cry to each other because we wanted to go home.”\nA cheerful and friendly brunette, Sopel shares a similar story.\n“Honestly, (in France) I was good written, but my spoken was awful,” Sopel said, with her accent still evident. “When I came here I couldn’t speak properly. (Associate head coach) Ramiro (Azcui) picked me up at the airport with Katya, and it was horrible. He spoke (to me), and I couldn’t understand (him). They probably thought, ‘We are recruiting this girl and she doesn’t even speak?’”\nAdmiring each other’s strengths, the players only have praise for the way their teammates dealt with the hardships of being away from home. One of those teammates is Charlotte Martin, a petite blonde from West Midlands, England.\n“Charlotte was the only one not crying,” Zapadalova said. “She was so strong, so confident. She was like an example for us to keep going.”\nMartin, on the other hand, praised the other freshmen for their ability to pick up on the language.\n“If I couldn’t speak English, I don’t know what I’d do,” Martin said. “I’m sort of so in awe of them. But Kate literally could not speak, and you can hold a normal conversation with her now.”
Coming to America\nThe players have one practical reason for leaving behind the familiarity of their homes to come to America: It’s the only nation where they can pursue a degree and continue playing tennis. Some people say sports creates unattainable dreams and disappointments, but for these four freshmen, sports has given them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to continue playing a sport they would have to give up had they stayed in their home country.\n“America is the only way to combine sport and education,” Zapadalova said. “In Russia, you need to choose to study or to play tennis. You can’t combine them.”\nAnother tennis freshman who appreciates the importance the U.S. places on athletics is Maria Guerreiro, a half-Portuguese, half-Russian immigrant.\n“I feel like coming here gives me a very good opportunity job-wise,” Guerreiro said. “It gives me a different and very good education. This is one of the only opportunities where I could pursue an education and keep playing tennis. In Europe, that’s kind of impossible. This is the only place where they value sports.”\nSopel said the opportunity to play tennis was very important in her college decision, but she also stressed the desire to find a school with a good journalism program.\n“I really fell in love with IU,” Sopel said. “The campus is very pretty; it’s a good environment for me. My studies are very important to me. If I can find a good level (between) studies and tennis, that is good.”\nFinding a happy medium has helped IU’s success on the courts this year. Zapadalova plays No. 2 singles for the Hoosiers while also pairing with junior Alba Berdala on the No. 1 doubles team. Martin competes in singles in the No. 3 position and Sopel competes on the No. 3 doubles team with senior captain Brianna Williams.
Teammates and coaches\nThe players are not alone as they assimilate to a new way of life.\nJuniors Sigrid Fischer of Germany and Berdala of Spain offer advice and companionship to their freshmen teammates.\n“(Alba and Sigrid) were always really attentive,” Guerreiro said. “I feel like they were really good guides. When I came here, I didn’t feel like I came to America and I didn’t have nobody; that I came to college and I didn’t have nobody. I felt like I came to a team and that I was already a member. I never felt like I was alone.”\nBoth upperclassmen said they admire the transition the freshmen have made since coming to America.\n“I tell them to come to us if they feel homesick or need to sleep over,” Fischer said. “They can call us or write an e-mail if they need help. We just tell them what we experienced. Obviously we can’t help them with everything. Obviously, they need to experience on their own.”\nIU coach Lin Loring and Azcui act as parent figures for the players. Originally from Bolivia, Azcui has experience coming to America as a tennis player. The coaches make an effort to bring the team together; for example, Loring hosted a Christmas party at his house to promote team bonding off the court.\n“They’re just really supportive all the time,” Martin said. “They’re really lenient with the fact that we’re getting homesick or we haven’t spoken with our parents for a while, especially Ramiro because he did the same thing so he knows exactly what it’s like. They tend to say the right things when they need to be said.”\nEach freshman offered a different take on what makes the coaching staff helpful. Zapadalova said the coaches often act as a support system for the players.\n“I can’t imagine how hard it is for (Loring),” Zapadalova said. “Each one has different accents. I don’t know how he can understand everyone. He and Ramiro are like a second family for us. Whenever we need help, we just ask them.”\nLoring said homesickness is always a side effect of freshmen, both domestic and international, players. Eventually, he said, even the international players adapt to their new country.\n“The longer they live here, they miss less things about being home,” Loring said. “I think it’s a lot like American kids get homesick. I think it’s kind of a natural transition that all the players go through.”\nZapadalova, who at first questioned her decision, feels better now.\n“I don’t have any regrets at all,” she said. “I just love it.”
Competition\nThe courts are one area where little assimilation is required. Unlike other high-profile sports, the fans are few and far between, mostly composed of parents, friends and the IU’s men’s tennis team.\nWatching the game, the team’s camaraderie is apparent. As soon as one girl finishes playing, she joins the sidelines, cheering for her teammates. High-fives are abundant. The team is a paragon of sportsmanship without any smidge of controversy. \nIn between games the courts are quiet, save for the whir of the vending machines and chatter of the small crowd. No flash of cameras, no national writers waiting to talk to the new face of IU basketball to discuss the latest scandal. No prima donna egos fighting for attention, only shouts of “Come on Indiana!” and “Let’s go Hoosiers!” as each girl checks her teammate’s scores in between her own games. \nIt is on these courts that all language and cultural barriers disappear. \nWelcome to the United Nations of tennis.
