It’s a Wednesday night in Nashville, Tenn., and four Illini tennis players with a lot in common are finishing the day’s final matches. Yes, all four of them are now fixtures on the professional tennis circuit. It is their common tie with the Illinois men’s tennis team, however, that draws them together as they prepare for a reunion in Champaign.

This year’s JSM Challenger welcomes a record four directly accepted Illini tennis players to its field of competition as professional tennis makes its annual stop at Atkins Tennis Center, beginning with a qualifying round this Saturday.

Former All-Americans Amer Delic and Kevin Anderson join Illinois alumni Brian Wilson and Rajeev Ram in the Challenger’s international field of 22 players. Ryler DeHeart also made the tournament’s player list as an alternate.

Delic, who captured the singles title at last year’s Challenger, is now ranked 87th in the world and is one of the favorites heading into this year’s tournament.

Though his professional career takes him around the world, a certain sentiment from the past makes competing in Champaign a special experience.

“That’s where I played my college tennis and had most of my success,” Delic said, “especially last year, winning the title over there, which propelled me to top-100 in the world. There are a lot of good memories. It’s always good to go back and play in front of the people who supported me for the last couple of years.”

Less than a year ago, Anderson was roaming the courts of Atkins wearing blue and orange and helping the team to a runner-up finish at the NCAA National Championships. Now in his inaugural season on the pro circuit, Anderson was somewhat conflicted about any home-court advantage he would seemingly hold over the competition.

“I feel really comfortable playing at Atkins,” Anderson said. “At the same time, the standard of tennis is really hard no matter who I play against. I see an advantage playing at home, but you better be prepared no matter who you play.”

Though the fast-paced, stressful life of a professional athlete may be distracting at times, Delic attests to the distinct sense of Illini fellowship that still seems to resonate across the international circuit.

“It’s not really a rivalry, it’s more of a camaraderie, really,” Delic said. “A lot of outside people, the people that have played on other teams, notice that also. Even though we’re out here playing such an individual sport, everyone’s pretty much out there on their own, we still hang out together and we push each other to do well.”

The sense of camaraderie does have its drawbacks, however, as alumni are occasionally pitted against each other in tournament play. Delic scored a semifinal win over Ram in last year’s Challenger, while Anderson has matched up against his former teammate DeHeart twice now in his young career.

The Challenger features a main draw in both singles and doubles, which are set to begin Nov. 12 following qualifying action. The singles champion is set to pocket a cool $7,200 for his efforts, while the same prize will be offered collectively to the winning doubles tandem.

No matter what the tournament’s outcome may be, the Challenger is sure to give spectators an exciting taste of world-class professional tennis, as well as afford Illini fans the opportunity to cheer on some familiar faces.