Freshman Stefano Tsorotiotis, a native of Libertyville, Illinois, joined the Sooners in August.
Prior to OU, Tsorotiotis was an All-State selection as a freshman at Libertyville High School and a two-time regional champion. He also won the USTA Junior National Open Doubles Championships. After spending his final year of high school at the IMG Academy in Florida alongside current Sooner freshman Jake Van Emburgh, Tsorotiotis ranked as high as No. 16 in the U.S. by tennisrecruiting.net.
Now at Oklahoma, Tsorotiotis has become a valuable member of the Sooners’ squad and continues to grow as a player.
What drew you to OU?
“I got recruited by Nick when I lived with Jake (Van Emburgh) in Florida (at the IMG Academy) and we went on a visit… and I just loved everything about OU – especially Nick Crowell as a coach.”
What is your impression of Coach Crowell?
“He’s probably one of the most caring guys I’ve met. He’s always on the court from 9 a.m. until when we leave around 5 or 6 p.m. and he’s always got so much energy. He loves doing it, which makes us better and makes us like it more.”
What does it mean to you to have Jake Van Emburgh on the team with you here?
“It’s awesome. When you come into such a big college and you have someone that you’ve known since you were eight or nine years old, you kind of look at him as a brother so like we keep each other on track and help each other get better on and off the court. … We didn’t decide (to come to OU) together, but we both kind of realized how special this program is and what it would mean to come to OU and I think we both made the right decision.”
What’s been the biggest transition for you?
How have the upperclassmen helped you adjust?
“They’re awesome. They could easily think of us as freshmen and be tough on us but they look at us as good friends and we’ll be friends for life and it’s just awesome having them here because we can look up to them and they help us get better on and off the court as well.”
What aspects of your game have improved since you came to college?
“Everything. I’d say my fitness mostly, but I feel like I’ve gotten better in every way since I’ve been here.”
What has been the most memorable match for you so far?
“The most memorable match was Texas A&M. ... Seeing (Alex) Bakshi take down one of the better guys in the country, from his old school in front of old fans and coaches, I think that was awesome for him.”
Do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions?
“I’m actually pretty superstitious. I’d say my pre-match ritual is kind of the same thing- wake up, shower, put my headphones on, kind of zone in before a match, like 20 minutes before we start warming up. I kind of keep to myself a little bit more. I love Euro house music like dance music. It gets me going.”
