At Illinois, tennis is truly an international sport.
Of the team’s 10 members, three represent Australia in international play, two play for Hungary, two for the United States, two for France and one for Japan. Despite their different origins, they all share one culture at Illinois: that of the ace, of the bagel and of love.
Head coach Brad Dancer and assistant coach Tim Kopinski acquired the talented group over the past few seasons. Their scouting work landed the Illini the nation’s second-best recruiting class this summer. Kopinski does most of the traveling to meet with potential recruits.
“It’s not easy,” Kopinski said. “You’re on the road a lot, and you’re on the road in really random locations that aren’t always glamorous. It’s pretty cool, but it’s definitely just … a lot.”
Kopinski has seen the majority of the team’s current roster during his travels. He’s scouted, among others, Hungarian freshmen Adam Jilly and David Bakonyi. Kopinski saw the doubles partners last year at a tournament in the Netherlands. Now the two play for Illinois.
“We got recruited together,” Jilly said. “We are really experienced doubles (partners) together, and it’s going to be really helpful for the team and also for us to improve our doubles knowledge. It’s going to be good.”
A large part of the team’s success in international recruiting is due to the program’s alumni successes on the world stage.
Two former Illini, Aleksandar Vukic and Aleksandar Kovacevic, currently rank among the top 100 players worldwide. Kevin Anderson and Rajeev Ram also made stops in Champaign-Urbana early in their illustrious careers.
“Not to sound arrogant or braggadocious, but I think we have a great track record of guys coming here and doing well in college, and then in professional ranks,” Dancer said.
While professional success has certainly helped sway many athletes towards Illinois, it’s not the only factor in their decision. Junior Jeremy Zhang was one of several Illini who mentioned the positive influence of Dancer, Kopinski and the coaching staff.
“It was really cool to have people there supporting you and knowing that these guys are here to get the best out of you,” Zhang said. “That’s probably what I noticed the most about TK and Brad and the coaches here.”
Despite its recent recruiting success, the team is never finished finding new talent. Dancer said that one area Illinois is looking to improve in is local scouting.
“People say, ‘Hey, you’re doing such a great job.’ And for us, we feel like maybe we’ve missed on some guys in the Midwest,” Dancer said.
Dancer said a majority of the team’s recruiting resources go toward scouting local players. Despite this, Illinois only boasts one Midwest native: redshirt junior Tyler Bowers.
The country home to the most Illini is Australia. Zhang, redshirt sophomore Zach Viiala and freshman Hayden Jones all hail from the land down under. Zhang relishes the opportunity to play alongside his fellow countrymen for Illinois.
“It’s unreal,” Zhang said. “It’s something I never really imagined when I got in. Now you’re here, all going for a team goal, and you’re pushing each other. That’s what makes it really fun.”
Zhang said that one of his main draws to Illinois was its long list of successful alumni. He specifically credited Vukic, whom he knows personally.
In turn, Zhang helped draw the two younger Australians to Illinois.
“I know some of them want to be somewhere where they’re more familiar with, especially because it’s a very daunting opportunity,” Zhang said. “Obviously, it’s very positive, but it’s also a really big change, so to have someone that they know and trust, I think that helps with their decision and their transition.”
As the team prepares for conference play in the spring, that trust remains as important as ever.
@BrendanGallian
