University of Tennessee Athletics
First Serve: Igor Smelyanski
October 08, 2014 | Men's Tennis
By Amanda Pruitt
UTSports.com
Most of the men's tennis squad is back in action this week at the Wake Forest Fall Invitational, including freshman Igor Smelyanski.
Smelyanski, hailing from Beer Yaaqov, Israel, is one of three freshmen on Tennessee's roster this fall. The 6-foot-3 right hander has already enjoyed some success in his first two tournaments. He teamed up with Andrew Dromsky to win the Vols' first doubles title at Southern Intercollegiate Championships in a decade in his career debut, and he reached the singles quarterfinals of the SEC Fall Classic a week later.
After a few weeks of team training on his new home courts, Smelyanski is going to be back in competition for the final series of fall tournaments. Before heading to Winston-Salem, N.C., he took time for a quick Q&A:
Q: You've played in a couple tournaments so far and are a two months into the semester. How has the start of fall been for you on the court?
A: "We practice very hard, especially on fitness. We run very hard runs. In the beginning, we practiced alone by ourselves without the coaches. The older players were leading practice, so we were figuring out what to do. I tried to practice as hard as I can, concentrate, build my confidence and just enjoy the game and see how it goes."
Q: Is the level of competition and college so far about what you expected?
A: "It's kind of different. You've seen in movies about college, and you have different expectations about stuff. I do like it here and it's fun. I like the people around. Everyone tries to help you. I like my teammates, coaches and staff. I feel good about it."
Q: A lot of players come into college tennis, and suddenly there's a lot more conditioning and strength training that maybe they didn't have time or access to as a junior. How has that part of training been for you?
A: "Before I came here, I was training very hard too. My coach was very intense. We trained very hard. It's not new for me. It's not like I came here and it surprised me. I got it very fast at the start of practice and conditioning. I like it. When I work hard, I feel like I'm improving myself. It's important for me."
Q: What are some things you are working on right now in your game?
A: "In fitness, I run pretty good but I'm trying to get stronger in my legs and upper body. In tennis, I'm just trying to get my game sharper so I can know exactly what my style of game is and work on my serve. I want to get better in everything because I believe that to get better, you need to get better at everything, not some some things."
Q: For people who haven't seen you play -- which is pretty much every fan here -- how would you describe you game?
A: "I'm a big fighter. I will never give up on anything. I will always try to play my best for me and now also for my team and for Tennessee, which I play for. Now, it's even more important for me to be a fighter and be there at every point, at every time.
"I'm an aggressive player. I'm trying to be aggressive, go forward to the net to finish points quickly. I'm trying to always stay in the point. My game style changes, depending on who I play. If I play somebody who plays aggressive and I don't feel the ball so good, I'm changing. I can adjust my game for my opponents if I need to. I just try to play aggressive and attack."
Q: Does that aggressive style of play help in doubles?
A: "Those are very short games. The points end very quickly, so you need to be sharp and know what you are doing. This is the most important point in doubles, I think. And to be together with your partner, to have a good connection and know what you are going to do."
Q: You and Andrew Dromsky started the year out with a doubles title. What makes the two of you effective as a team?
A: "We are both tall and have good serves. It's very important to just keep your serve in a game. Then, if you make the first break and just hold serve, that's how you win the game. We were kind of lucky in that tournament in a way. We did not play our best tennis, but we tried to fight every match, every point. We didn't let go of anything. We just stayed in there until the end. I think that helped us out a lot. The coaches, like Chris (Woodruff), were with us. He was very positive and gave us good feedback. He worked with us on stuff we didn't do very well and corrected us. I think those are the reasons we won."
Q: How did you end up playing tennis?
A: "I started playing basketball when I was six. I was pretty good. I loved it. I broke my arm and couldn't continue any more. Then, I was looking for something else to play. I lived in a place which had a ton of sports activities. By mistake, by some luck, there were tennis courts near the pool where I used to go a lot. I saw that and kind of liked it. I asked if I could try and I tried and tried and tried until I got used to it and started to practice and got better and better and better. Then the coaches saw potential in me and tried to progress my game and help me to develop. It was a time when I started to enjoy and like it and think it was something I wanted to do in the future, like my livelihood.
"There was a lot of stuff along the way, changing of directions, but that's how I ended here. I'm really glad I came here. I think it's very helpful for me. It's making me a better person with the college studying and everything and being in a team competition with teammates and stuff like that. I wasn't used to that because I was just an individual. There is a lot of new stuff that can help me a lot to progress my game and become better."
Q: How old were you when you accidentally discovered tennis?
A: About eight. I was young. I really liked soccer. I wanted to quit from tennis, and go play soccer. When I was 14, I was almost ready to quit and play soccer. But my father didn't let me play soccer, he wanted me to stay in tennis. I do believe I would be a better soccer player than tennis player.
Q: But you'll take what you've got, right?
A: (laughs) "Yeah, I will take it, but my dream was to play on a big team in the Spanish league or Premier League or something like that. It's not going to come true, but I've tried to make the best of that."
Q: Was there a moment that you felt you could be really good at tennis?
A: "I don't like to give compliments to myself. If I win, of course, I'm enjoying it. I'm smiling, I'm happy, but I don't go down the streets saying, 'Hey, it's me. I won a tournament.' I try to keep it quiet. Right now, I care more about how the team is doing. It's very hard for me because it's not if you win or lose. Even if I win, the team could lose. This is the reality. I try to think about the team more than me."
Q: What's your favorite soccer club?
A: "Real Madrid. My favorite player is David Beckham, but he retired. He then played with the L.A. Galaxy. He was like my idol. I loved the guy. I tried to look like him. I tried to play like him. I didn't do very well. ... I tried to do my hair like him, but it was not even close. (laughs) He's a very good player.
"In Israel, it's all about soccer and basketball, but soccer is first place. I used to play soccer all the time. After tennis practice, I used to go and play soccer with my friends. It was a routine that I'd do every second Monday or something. I played soccer pretty well."
Q: Everyone on the team seems to have a club they support in the League Premier League. Have you picked your team yet?
A: "Not yet. I'm still trying to figure that out."
Q: To wrap things up, do you have any pets?
A: "I have a dog. His name is Bruno. My sister, she wanted a dog and she wanted a fish and she wanted a cat and she wanted a horse -- whatever, just give me a pet. I liked dogs but I never wanted one because you had to take them out and stuff. My father had a dog and my sister had a dog. I just loved him. He's so funny. He's like a person. He sleeps on the pillows, eats from the bowls and plates at the table. He likes all the food. He's a coward. Someone new comes to the door, and he goes under the couch and doesn't come out until someone familiar goes and gets him. He's so pitiful, but he's like the prettiest dog ever. Everybody says that, so it's not just me saying that because he's my dog. He's something I miss."
