Jan. 22, 2008

Used With Permission of University of Memphis Marketing & Communications Staff

Towering over the competition

By Adam Montgomery

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "America is another name for opportunity." While this quote still rings true today, an even more accurate name for opportunity could be college. For senior University of Memphis tennis player Amrit Narasimhan, both of these statements could not be any more true.

Growing up in Hyderabad, India, Narasimhan learned to take advantage of the opportunities presented to him. Spending part of his childhood volunteering in his grandmother's orphanage helped Narasimhan learn this valuable lesson. "Just seeing what some of those kids had been through really left an impression in my mind," said Narasimhan. "I realized that I needed to take advantage of the opportunities and blessings given to me."

One of those opportunities was a chance to move to the United States with his family as a teenager. In 2001 he moved to Houston in the pursuit of a college education and, little did he know, a possible pro tennis career.

Surprisingly, Narasimhan found his hardest adjustment to the United States to be on the tennis court. As he began to set his sights on playing college tennis, the realization that the level of tennis in America was much more competitive than in India also began to sink in.

"Tennis in India is just not that big. It is becoming more popular, but not many people grow up playing it," said Narasimhan.

After much hard work, he began to make the adjustments and soon found himself playing at one of the top community college programs in the country. It was at Tyler Junior College where he began to blossom into a top Division I prospect. With other schools, such as Oregon, Arkansas and Virginia Tech, fighting for his talents, he faced a tough decision. Ultimately, it came down to not being able to say no to U of M men's tennis coach Paul Goebel. Believing in Goebel's vision and commitment to the program, Narasimhan chose Memphis. He became more reassured in his decision as he got to know his teammates and the city better. Now, the decision to come to Memphis seemed like an easy one. Narasimhan, a sports management major, can't imagine being anywhere else.

Ever since his arrival to Memphis, Narasimhan has towered over the competition in more ways than one. Standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall, he literally towers over most of his opponents. He uses this to his advantage by overpowering them with his height and strength. This seems to be working as he has continued to pile up victories and awards. In 2007 he was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and also was awarded a place on the C-USA Second Team. More recently, Narasimhan and doubles partner Charlie Ramsay captured first place in the most prestigious college tournament in the Southeast, the Southern Intercollegiate Championships.

No matter what he has done in the past, he understands that his dream of playing professional tennis could be determined by his play this coming spring. A high ranking and a deep run in the NCAA tournament could help pave the way to a professional career when the season is over.

Narasimhan, on the other hand, wants to focus on the goals of the program and his team.

"Our team goal is to win C-USA," he said, "but more importantly we want to represent the school and program with integrity. This program has the potential to become one of the best tennis programs in the country. For that to happen though, we have to get better facilities and more support. All we can do is focus on winning because if we win, more opportunities for support from the school and city will open up."

Give Narasimhan those opportunities and he will definitely take them.