Alabama Men’s Tennis Catching Up with the Crimson: Alexey Nesterov
9/5/2017 1:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
With the school year underway, Alabama Men's Tennis Q&A's will be conducted throughout the fall to introduce and catch up with players on the team. The second is catching up with Alexey Nesterov, a sophomore from Moscow, Russia.
What sparked your interest to start playing tennis?
"My cousin started playing tennis when she was six years old in Prague, Czech Republic and we went there for New Year's and I went to practice with her, I really liked it. I helped her pick up balls and stuff, and then I asked my parents if I could start playing. They signed me up for a tennis academy in Moscow and I started practicing there."
Is there a big difference playing in Moscow compared to here?
"Yeah, there's a big difference. At the junior level, 14 years and younger, there's an academy for the young players and then when you get older the coaches don't know what to do because it's a completely different game once you get older. That's why I started looking for other places to practice and my friend recommended me to go to a tennis academy in California called Weil Tennis Academy and I started visiting schools. But in Moscow it's really tough to practice because there aren't many players there, everyone goes to Spain, Germany, or America. There aren't a lot of players in Russia and I can't even find courts there because they are so expensive. Here I have everything I need to improve because there are courts and coaches that help me with everything so it's better here. But when I was younger things were good in Moscow."
How do you practice over the summer with the limited resources of Moscow?
"I have a couple of friends that are my age that are playing for teams. I have one friend who plays for the University of Utah and the other plays for the University of Central Florida, so we basically come back together and play against each other. I also play a lot of tournaments in Russia, so I didn't have problems practicing this summer, because at the tournaments there were always guys that wanted to practice."
Had you heard of Alabama while growing up in Russia?
"No, never. The first time I've ever heard of it was when my coach in California told me about it. It's a shame, but I had never heard of Alabama football either. When I came here for my visit, they told me they were the best team in the country, so I was very surprised."
When you came to visit campus what did you think of the university?
"I thought that it was a really nice place, and they showed me the football stadium which was unreal. I loved the coaches, the team, they were all nice to me. The campus was the best campus I had ever seen and the most beautiful."
When did you start getting recruited by Alabama and why did you choose to come here?
"April or May of 2015 I think, I came here because of the team and the coaches. I also came here because of the SEC competition. I heard that it was a really good conference with really good teams and good competition, all the teams in the conference are really good and that's why I love it."
How have your first couple weeks back on campus been for you?
"The weather is completely different in Moscow. Moscow is hot, but it's not as humid as it is here, that's why it's tough right play to practice and to play tennis because I am sweating like crazy and I'm soaked after every practice. I've played in a couple of tournaments in Birmingham already, and it was tough for me, I was dead after playing half of the first set. But I have to get used to it and get better. I'm excited about everything, the season and being here."
How are things different this year for you, knowing that you have already had a year under your belt?
"When I came here last year, I didn't know what to expect from school and from what practices were going to be like, but now I know what it's going to be like and I'm more relaxed because I'm used to this atmosphere and more familiar. I feel like I'm home right now."
What excites the most about this upcoming season?
"The team. I think that we a lot of really good players, the guys that we have in the fall are really hard workers and nice guys and I like all of them. I think that we will be a very good team and we have a lot of chemistry."
What are your personal and team goals for the season?
"For sure make NCAAs, because that was our goal last year and we didn't make it and we were really upset about it, but I think this year we will make it for sure. We will have a very good team. Individually, I would like to be in the rankings, it's the Top 125 players, but I'll have to work really hard."
Players Mentioned
