The RoundHouse | 4/20/2022 2:23:00 PM

 
 
Kristof Minarik is the lone athlete in his family, and he isn't sure how or why he fell in love with tennis. He grew to crave the competition and the practices, so much so that he left Slovakia to continue his career at Wichita State.
 
"When I was 14, I couldn't imagine my life without tennis," he said. "When I became a little bit good, a little bit better, and I started winning some things, it became more interesting to me. I stuck with it and here I am."
 
Minarik, a freshman from Boldog, came to Wichita State in January, nervous about all the transitions. He handled them wonderfully and coach Danny Bryan considers him the top choice for American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
 
The seventh-seeded Shockers (12-13) open play in the conference championships at noon Friday against second-seeded Memphis (14-6) in Tulsa.
 
"I am not really a big fan of changes," Minarik said. "I was actually really scared to come here, to leave my old life behind. But I came here and tried to adapt. The first two weeks were really hard. I went with the flow."
 
New country. New school. New teammates. New competition.
 
"Coming in January is really difficult," Bryan said. "He's just a very mature guy and fit in with the guys on the team really well. He competes extremely well. I don't think I've ever had anyone who handled coming into a new team in January as well as he has, from the start."
 
Teammates could see that maturity when Minarik, who turned 21 in March, started. His experience in tournaments in Europe gave him an edge.
 
"He seemed the kind of guy who is really professional, really serious about what he's doing," said junior Orel Ovil. "Right from the start, he knows what he is doing. He knows what he needs to do to become a better player and to also help the team."
 
Minarik is 13-6 in singles matches, including 4-6 at No. 1, 3-0 at No. 2 and 6-0 at No. 3. Injuries to Stefan Latinovic, Wichita State's likely No. 1, and Luka Mrsic put Minarik higher in the lineup than expected. He defeated Oklahoma's Baptiste Anselmo at No. 3 in February. He defeated Luc Hoeijmans of No. 62 Tulane and Adam Neff of No. 31 SMU at No. 1 singles.
 
Last week, his matches at No. 1 vs. No. 49 Tulsa and No. 2 vs. No. 17 Middle Tennessee State were in the third sets when the team scoring ended.
 
"He's been a huge standout," Bryan said.  "He wasn't overwhelmed, at all. His future is really bright."
 
Minarik's speed and strength are assets, and he sees himself playing relaxed during his short time as a Shocker. He noticed the pressure of playing high in the lineup because teammates look to those spots for a boost.
 
Practice time has been limited because of the match schedule and Bryan is eager to work with him more often in practices after the spring season ends.
 
"After the first week, I felt like I was part of the team," Minarik said. "They treated me like one and they respected me. I didn't expect, in my freshman year, to right away play No. 1. It's definitely harder than I thought it would be, because of my positioning in my team. I got used to it and now I'm feeling really confident with it."
 
When Minarik reflects on his progress on the court, he points to a growing confidence and a sense of tennis as fun. At home, he said, he began to put more pressure on himself in recent years. The move to Wichita State reduced that pressure and made the risks of leaving Slovakia well worth the trip.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.