March 27, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Many young adults flock to Nashville from all points of the United States to attend Vanderbilt University. For Alex Zotov, the trek to Music City is a much longer distance. Zotov is an 18-year-old freshman and the only foreign born player on the men’s tennis team. Only a first-year member of the squad, his impact is already being felt and paying huge dividends for the Commodores.
A native on Minsk, Belarus, Zotov learned to love sports at a very early age. A natural athlete, he participated in basketball and soccer, but tennis was always his favorite sport.
“I started playing tennis when I was seven,” Zotov said. “In Minsk, there is only one big tennis club which is an Olympic preparation center for athletes.”
Having never lived in the United States before coming to college, Zotov made the long and arduous trip from his hometown to America in order to pursue a higher education.
While considering Purdue and Northwestern, Zotov spoke with longtime friend and professional tennis player Max Mirnyi. Mirnyi was closely connected to Ian Duvenhage, head coach of the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team. Mirnyi advised Duvenhage to take a long, hard look at Zotov. Duvenhage liked what he saw and decided to offer Zotov a scholarship.
“My experience (in Nashville) is only a half year, but I like it very much,” Zotov said. “I went to many schools without a team, and I can say Vanderbilt has the most beautiful campus. It is the most beautiful school I’ve ever seen and been to.”
On the court, Alex Zotov is in the business of winning, and business in 2007-2008 has been good. He currently leads the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team in wins with 20 while posting a .690 winning percentage.
In his most recent outing, Zotov defeated Alabama’s Michael Jung 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The win was his second in a row and fourth in his last five matches.
“Right now, we have a very good team,” commented Zotov. “I think our goal is to be top 10 in the country. We’re doing pretty well, and our coach inspires us to work not only on our physical stuff but also on our mindfulness.”
Off the court, Zotov is equally as successful. A computer engineering major, Zotov will soon look to double major in engineering science and economics.
Along with academics, his college experience has involved meeting new people from different backgrounds. Zotov has learned just as much from his American teammates as they have from him.
“I spent Thanksgiving Day and the Christmas holiday with one of my teammates (Adam Baker) that lives here in Nashville,” Zotov said. “He showed me some sights in downtown Nashville. In my country, we don’t have any skyscrapers.
“Right before Christmas, my parents sent some national gifts to all of my teammates. They enjoyed them very much. They were national gifts made from special kinds of trees. They experienced a little bit of my culture and the culture of Belarus.”
Although Zotov spent his childhood years playing tennis in Belarus, he is happy to be playing the sport he loves in the United States.
“The difference is the attitudes of the coaches and staff because in my country, it is mostly a commercial kind of sport,” commented Zotov. “Coaches and staff want to earn money from it, not teach people to make improvements. It’s much more professional here in the United States.”
Although graduation from Vanderbilt is several years away, Zotov is already planning for his future.
“I’m definitely thinking about it,” Zotov said. “I think that the best way is to stay here and work for several years. After that, maybe I will go to Europe or Moscow because it will be in the World Trade Organization pretty soon. It will develop very much.”
In the meantime, coach Duvenhage and the rest of the Commodores are ecstatic to have the Belarusian on their team and are in no rush to see him leave.