The Daily O’Collegian

Cowboy tennis players come from overseas to play at OSU

One of Ukraine’s major exports to the U.S. must be tennis players.

Or at least a major export to Oklahoma State University, for five Ukrainians call the OSU tennis program their home.

Assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk, junior Ivan Puchkarov, sophomore Oleksandr Kotsiuk, and freshmen Dmytro Petrov and Oleksandr Nedovyesov came to OSU from Ukraine.

One player’s potential stands above the rest.

Nedovyesov came from Alushta, Ukraine, where he played professional tennis.

He continues a sport in which he had success; he won the Under-14 and Under-16 Ukrainian championships and the men’s Ukrainian Championship in singles and doubles.

Although he said he is glad to be at OSU, Neovyesov said there are some disadvantages to playing tennis in the U.S. instead of in Ukraine.

He doesn’t have sponsors or a personal sparring partner like he used to, and he said it’s a big change.

Nedovyesov also said the international aspect is posing some unexpected challenges, for U.S. education is different from Ukraine education.

“In Ukraine, I spent a lot of time in the class, but here you spend less time (in the classroom) but focus all the time on classes,” he said. “I think education in the U.S. is much better than Ukraine in some ways.”

He said education here is more thorough and in-depth, but it’s also more difficult for him because of a language barrier.

“For me, it’s hard to study just because my English is not pretty good,” he said. “I’m continuing to study English … I try to study good and get good grades.”

Since February, Nedovyesov has worked his way up the national rankings from No. 65 to No. 25, and coach James Wadley said he is proud and excited for Nedovyesov’s progress.

“He’s made steady progress the whole year,” Wadley said. “He’s been steadily improving the whole year.”

Nedovyesov said the 40-rank climb is an accomplishment that satisfies him and spurs him on.

“I felt good about that, but I try to play better and better and go up and up,” he said. “I want to be in the top 16 to be All-American and go to NCAA nationals in Georgia, so I try to play harder. I believe that I can be in the top 10 of college tennis.”

Wadley said he holds the same belief.

“He has tremendous potential to succeed and to become an NCAA champion,” he said. “He’s the fourth-highest ranking freshman in all of college tennis. He’s gonna do well.”

Nedovyesov said he knows he has many things to work out, specifically his mental game and focus, if he is to reach the level he wants to achieve.

“I must work harder about my serve, a little bit of how I play on the baseline, but the most important thing for me is mentals (such as focusing),” he said.

Nedovyesov said Wadley has helped him a lot in training and providing him with the tools and resources to succeed.

“Coach Wadley is doing a very good job for me,” he said. “He gives me everything I need, rackets and stuff.”

The “stuff” Wadley provides seems to be helping, for Nedovyesov is 16-4 in singles and 13-7 in doubles, reflecting the No. 12 Cowboys’ 17-3 overall record and 6-2 conference record.

Nedovyesov said more important Wadley has helped him mentally focus when dealing with homesickness.

“He’s helped me out of courts and in,” he said. “He’s helped me mentally because I’ve never been away from home more than three months. For me, it’s so hard to be out of my home for so long, away from my family.”

Despite schools with better accommodations, such as indoor courts, Nedovyesov said OSU was an easy choice for him.

“I chose OSU just because there are guys from Ukraine and the assistant coach is from Ukraine,” he said. “I heard from Yevgen (Bondarchuk), the assistant coach, that Wadley’s such a good tennis coach and OSU has such good sports.”

Bondarchuk, of Kiev, Ukraine, is in his third year as assistant coach after his two-year career on the OSU team.

He is a Ukrainian Nedovyesov can look up to, for he helped guide the Cowboys to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances when he played primarily in the No. 2 spot in 2003 and 2004.

Three of Nedovyesov’s teammates are from Ukraine, and their achievements give Nedovyesov goals to aim toward.

Puchkarov, of Simfevopol, is Central Region Champion and a National Indoor Semifinalist. He is 26-8 in singles and 15-6 in doubles.

Kotsiuk, of Kiev, is in the No. 7 spot on the team, so unless another player is injured or sick, he doesn’t play. However, Wadley said he feels confident when he needs to count on Kotsiuk and he is a valuable part of the team. He is 3-2 in singles and 2-1 in doubles.

Petrov, also of Kiev, is 16-2 in singles and 12-4 in doubles. Wadley said his excitement for the sport sets him apart and tells of his potential.

Financial education seems to be a common theme among the band of Ukrainians.

Nedovyesov is majoring in economics, Bondarchuk earned a degree in economics and Kotsiuk and Petrov are majoring in economics. Puchkarov’s major was unavailable on the team’s Web site.

Nedovyesov said he doesn’t have any plans yet to use the degree after tennis, but he needed to choose a major.

“I just picked economics because I liked it,” he said.

Because OSU lacks indoor courts, the team travels to Tulsa six nights a week in January and February, a stark contrast against Nedovyesov’s practicing in his small Ukrainian hometown.

“In Ukraine, in my hometown, … I can walk to practice in like 15 minutes, practice then go back home, so it’s like walking 30 minutes; that’s all,” he said. “Here, we spend like two hours in a day traveling to Tulsa, practicing and then coming back.”

Nedovyesov said it’s a difficulty the players have to face.

“It’s so hard to spend all that money and time in the car, and you must do some homework and stuff,” he said. “To me it’s a big difference, but it’s OK. It’s tough — tough life.”