Bryan Cole / The Collegian

Czech Rudy Siwy is no underdog as he has risen to become the Bulldogs̢۪ No. 1 singles player and captain of the men̢۪s tennis team.

It was back in 2005 when Rudy Siwy was coming from the Czech Republic to look for a new home in the United States, a new school to attend and a college tennis court to play on.

It turned out that he liked the sound of the school he chose to enroll in.

“Fresno State was more lucky chance because I liked the sound of the name when I was going through a list of schools. It sounded exotic to me,â€Â Siwy said. “I was looking at 14 different schools. I’ve wanted to go to the U.S. since I was 14 because I knew I liked team sports and college tennis was the only one where I can play competitively for a team.â€Â

Siwy̢۪s competiveness has helped elevate the men̢۪s tennis team at Fresno State, where the senior was the 2007-2008 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) player of the year and was a first team All-WAC selection in both singles and doubles.

In the fall of 2008, he advanced in the main draw of the International Tennis Association (ITA) All-American tournament after winning three matches in the qualifying rounds. One match was an upset against No. 3 Daniel Vallverdu from the University of Miami.

For Siwy, tennis turned out to be the one sport he was always good at after trying his hand at many others.

Photo courtesy of Fresno State Athletics

“I started when I was eight. I’m 23 now. It makes 15 years,â€Â Siwy said. “I tried many sports. I’ve tried 10 different sports, and I was good at tennis so I stuck with it.â€Â

No such thing as ‘good enough’

Even though he̢۪s played the game for a long time, Siwy looks to find ways to improve himself. One way is watching a famous tennis player known for winning Grand Slam titles, French Open titles and a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

“I like Rafael Nadal and how he plays,â€Â Siwy said. “I try to play a similar style.â€Â

His coach, Jay Udwadia Рwho coached the World Team Tennis League champion New York Buzz in the summer of 2008 Рis also helping to find ways to improve Siwy̢۪s game.

“He had all the talent in the world when he came here, but his point construction was lacking a little bit,â€Â Udwadia said. “He was a good athlete, he was very fit, but he’s really gained control mentally of his game and he knows what he needs to do to gain points.â€Â

Siwy was actually one of the first athletes recruited by Udwadia when he became the men̢۪s tennis coach in 2005.

Photo courtesy of Fresno State Athletics

“He came in and has been great ever since he got here,â€Â Udwadia said. “He’s our team captain this year. He’s led our team on tough days and whenever we have matches, he helps pull us through. He knows the system and what he has to do to win matches.â€Â

Udwadia also seems very pleased with the personal development of Siwy.

“He’s a very well-rounded person academically and socially and everything about him is rock solid,â€Â Udwadia said. “He’s become what he is today.â€Â

Siwy may be viewed as well-rounded and rock solid, but he still has some major goals he wants to achieve in his life.

“National champion would be nice,â€Â Siwy said. “If I win a national championship, I would have to look for some sponsors and try to turn pro. If I don’t I’ll probably play tennis tournaments in the summer for fun. Then I’ll come back, finish my bachelor’s degree and then pursue my masters.â€Â