Tennis player earns Athlete of the Week honor
Editor’s note: Jonah Nelson won the Athlete of the Week honor for the week of Feb. 8-15.
Utah Statesman: What were you thinking when you found out about getting the Athlete of the week?
Jonah Nelson: I was pretty excited about it. It kind of surprised me.
US: Why did it surprise you?
JN: Well because tennis usually doesn’t get this much recognition. It’s great that I got it, but it was a surprise.
US: Why/when did you start playing tennis?
JN: My dad played tennis. He played for Snow College and still played a little when I was little. When I was about five I wanted to play. He started playing with me and it just went from there.
US: When did you decide that you were going to play tennis in college?
JN: It was pretty much my goal to play for college from about 12 on. I was playing at national tournaments and other things. My goal was always to get college paid for through tennis.
US: Why did you decided to come to Utah State?
JN: They recruited me pretty hard. I like that campus when I came and visited it and I liked the coaches. My parents really wanted me to stay in Utah so that they could come watch me sometimes.
US: What is your favorite part of playing tennis here at USU?
JN: I really like the laid-back atmosphere of the tennis team. It is a fun environment to work in. I like the area of Logan and the mountains and the kind of secluded atmosphere.
US: What is your favorite memory playing tennis at Utah State?
JN: Not one thing really sticks out. I have a lot of different memories from road trips with the team and building friendships with the team. I don’t have one memory that is really big sticks out but there are a lot of little memories.
US: What do you think about the future of tennis at USU?
JN: The future looks pretty bright for tennis here. Every year the teams are consistently getting better, and I think that in the future they will be pretty good.
US: Is there anything you enjoy doing when you are not playing tennis?
JN: Right now I have been spending most of my time with my six month old son and my wife. I also like to read and I like music. In high school I played football and basketball.
-aedmunds@cc.usu.edu