Aggie Tennis is a worldwide unit

Diverse is a simple way to describe Utah State’s men’s tennis team. Their roster features nine players from eight countries, speaking more than five languages. They say their differences increase the strength of their bond.

“I think the differences in culture we have, we use them to keep us even closer. We all have different perspectives on other stuff and we are all courageous enough to open about it and talk about it from our perspectives,” said junior transfer Bodin Zarkovic. “I think we are doing a really good job of being empathetic towards each other and listening and accepting those different cultures and then showing our cultures. And I think that creates a very strong bond in this team.”

Zarkovic is originally from Belgrade, Serbia, but he transferred to Utah State from Minnesota this year when Minnesota shut down their men’s tennis program. While considering joining Utah State, Zarkovic talked with Roko Savin, a junior from Zagreb, Croatia, about the team.

“He told me great stuff about the team, about the program, about the school,” Zarkovic said. “I really believe I picked the right school.”

Head Coach Aaron Paajanen explained that having diverse, international rosters is not uncommon in collegiate tennis.

“Across the country, tennis rosters are much more international,” Paajanen said. “You’re typically going to find better tennis players internationally just because the sport’s a bit more popular in other places than it is here.”

Paajanen believes that his players’ prior experiences competing and travelling internationally have helped them come together and avoid culture shock.

“These guys have had the opportunity to travel around [different parts of the world] and they’ve already experienced a lot of different cultures,” Paajanen said. “So coming here is just another culture that they’re getting to experience. I think they do a good job of embracing it and appreciating something new, something different. All the guys are really good friends. They’re really close off the court.”

Team captain Felipe Acosta believes the team has developed a strong bond because of the environment of international tennis and the team.

“We are used to [traveling] all over the country or all over the world to compete and then get to know new people,” Acosta said. “Also, when you come from outside of the United States, and you come here, the tennis team is your family. So that’s why we are so bonded together.”

Acosta has played for Utah State tennis since the 2017-18 season when the Aggies won the regular season and conference tournament titles. Acosta is a graduate student from Chascomus, Argentina, which is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

He said the main difference between tennis in his home country — where athletes have to choose between going pro or going to school — and the United States is the college structure.

“The system in the United States is really convenient for good athletes that don’t feel ready to go pro, and want to become better throughout those four years and then jump into a professional tennis career,” Acosta said.

Zarkovic has noticed a bigger difference in the style of play in the United States, especially at higher elevations.

“We’re playing here on a pretty high altitude, so the style’s a little bit different,” Zarkovic said. “The players are a little bit more aggressive, they come to the net more often, the points are a little bit shorter. So it’s definitely different from Europe. I would always play on clay which is really slow, long points, a little more physical. So there’s a lot of differences.”

Right now, the Aggies are playing in individual tournaments. Their next one is the Utah Invitational on Oct. 10. The main focus though, is team play, which starts in January. Coach Paajanen feels his team has an opportunity to do well in the Mountain West Conference.

“I think the conference is going to be very competitive again this year like it was last year,” Paajanen said. “The opportunity is there for us, as it is for a few other teams.”Acosta wants to win another conference championship before his time is over in Logan.

“My personal goal is to win the conference,” Acosta said. “I just want to retire from college tennis with a win in the conference. We won it back in my freshman year and then we were close a few more times, but it will be nice to finish my college career with that.”

Both Acosta and Coach Paajanen encourage people to come and support the squad when the team meets start next year. On Jan. 23, the Aggies host Idaho State in their first home match.

“Please come and support us,” Acosta said. “We play at Sports Academy on the indoor court. The environment over there is really fun. It’s not a classic tennis match, it’s way more interactive, people are cheering for each other. I think the students will like it.”

“It would be great if we could pack our facility out and get as many people here as possible to support the team,” Paajanen said. “It really is non-stop action from the doubles at the very beginning and then when we transition to singles.”