Spring Break
From Russia with 40 love
Tennis player travels the world before joining A&M
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 3/31/09 Section: Sports
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"After being here for a year and half I knew what Texas was like and that is why I preferred to come to Texas A&M," Grigorov said.
Grigorov, a Russian native, started his tennis career when he was 6 years old and by the time he was 10 years old, had established himself as one of Russia's premier junior players. While playing in the division of Boys 12 and under, Grigorov reached a ranking of No. 3 in Russia.
To further his tennis career, Grigorov moved to Moscow where he began to train at an academy and play tournaments throughout Europe. Grigorov found success in the Boys 16 and under division, climbing the rankings to No. 5, the highest ranking by a Russian junior.
When he was 16, Grigorov traveled to the U.S. for the first time to play in the Orange Bowl in Key Biscayne, Fla.
"I went to the quarterfinals of the Orange Bowl and Roddick saw me playing," Grigorov said. "He invited me to play at his academy in San Antonio."
After moving to Texas, Grigorov competed in junior International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments. After starting slow, a coaching change at the academy helped Grigorov move up the ITF rankings.
"I didn't play very good when I was 16," Grigorov said. "They hired a new coach in San Antonio and he helped me a lot. I started showing great results and in four months I went from ranked No. 300 to No. 70."
At the end of his junior career, Grigorov was ranked No. 5. Still training in San Antonio, Grigorov was faced with the decision of whether to continue playing world tournaments at a professional level or go to college.
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