Georgian tennis ace scores on and off the court

One of the biggest challenges Nini Sujashvili experienced trying to improve her tennis game growing up in Tbilisi, Georgia, was finding opponents, because her high school offered no opportunities to play sports and her country was at war.

“After the South Ossetia war ended between Russia and my country in 2008, all the tournaments were cancelled and even fewer people were playing tennis,” said Sujashvili, a sophomore majoring in psychology. “It was very hard to keep playing tennis in that kind of situation, but with my parents’ support I was able to continue playing and taking private lessons.”

Not only did she continue, she excelled. Sujashvili achieved top-three national ranking in Georgia in 2008, 2009 and 2010. She won the Pejo Cup in 2007 to become the top-ranked U-16 player in Georgia and is ranked among the top 70 players in Europe.

Betsy Kuhle, WMU head women's tennis coach, said she was excited when Sujashvili chose to attend Western Michigan University and become a member of the women’s tennis program.

“Nini has been a tremendous asset to our team both on the court and in the classroom,” Kuhle said. “In her first year, she received the prestigious Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year award and was named an Academic All-American by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. She currently is playing No. 1 singles and doubles this year and she carries a 3.93 GPA in psychology.”

Sujashvili practices tennis with the team approximately 20 hours a week. Because she needs more time to study than native English speakers, she said she spends about 25 hours a week studying for classes, or more if she has an upcoming test. That leaves her with just 10-15 hours a week to relax and enjoy social and cultural activities.

“I feel so honored to be part of WMU’s tennis program,” she said. “Being a student athlete is prestigious, though that comes with a lot of responsibility. My actions represent not only me, but the whole team and university. My teammates and I always hang out with each other and if I need any kind of help I can always count on my coaches. Because I have been playing tennis since I was 7 years old and studying at the same time for so many years, I have learned how to manage my time well. I know how much time I need for studying and how much I need for tennis, so I always have at least a little bit of free time.”

Her very competitive nature is one reason Sujashvili believes she has concentrated on tennis because players have the opportunity to compete as an individual.

“When I’m playing singles, the outcome of my match depends solely on my abilities,” she said. “The duration of a match is the hardest challenge because you never know how long you will be playing. You have to be physically and mentally prepared all the time.”

Strong family support helped Sujashvili realize her goals to study and play tennis for an American university. She is the daughter of Tamaz Sujashvili and Marina Marsagishvili and she has three siblings, sisters Veriko and Mariami, and a younger brother, Giorgi. She said Georgia is well known for its hospitality, which has resulted in her receiving much encouragement and support from hometown neighbors and friends.

“In Georgia, we study with the same kids from the first grade through the twelfth grade, so most of my friends have been my friend for more than 12 years,” she said. “They're like my family.”

Sujashvili arrived at WMU in fall 2010 and is minoring in sociology and management in addition to her psychology major. She plans to complete requirements for a bachelor’s degree and graduate in spring 2014.  

Adjusting to life in the United States at WMU has been fairly easy for Sujashvili. She believes personal characteristics she developed growing up aided her smooth transition to life in Kalamazoo, including good organizational skills, a friendly demeanor and strong survival instincts.

“I really like the small classes because I can get to know my professors and it's easier to meet new people,” she said. “WMU has one of the best psychology programs and I enjoy all my psychology classes. At first the campus seemed very big, but I got used to it and now love the atmosphere on campus. I like that the buildings are close enough to each other that it’s easy to walk from one to the other. It’s also great that everyone has been willing to help me when I need anything.”

Story by Nate Coe

Nini Sujashvili player bio and stats

Getting to know Nini Sujashvili video