Tennis Acumen at the Columbus Fall Challenger 2022. And we are here with Rinky Hijikata, from Australia.
(photo credit: University of North Carolina)
Tennis Acumen: So how did you get recruited into college and how did you make the decision to go, Rinky?
Rinky Hijikata: My old coach from Sydney, David Moore, had a lot of connections with the US colleges and he was the one that steered me that way. He put me in contact with some of the schools. My sister was a college swimmer, so she had that background and recommended it to me. My mom thought it was a good pathway for me, because I hadn't been doing great in juniors for a couple of years there and I was struggling a little bit physically. I was getting hurt quite a bit. So, it was a good choice, a way to get a few years of good training and good physical conditioning as well and try to improve as a player and a person. And it was probably the best choice for me. .
Tennis Acumen: Wonderful. And coming out of college and going on to the Futures and Challengers, what were the changes and what was the same?
Rinky Hijikata: The travel is a massive part of it. Yes. It's not easy, going week in, week out and playing every week, being in a different place every week. You will not have your teammates there to get around you and pick you up when you're down. When you're in college, it's a lot easier I think, because you've got ten other guys who are there to push you and make sure you're doing the right thing. I think that's one of the biggest differences.
(This exclusive interview has generated seven ‘quick read’ excerpts, to be posted at tennisacumen.com over time.)
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