Published: April 22, 2007
TAMPA, Fla.
The St. John’s men’s tennis team ended the season with a fourth
place finish at the 2007 BIG EAST Tennis Championships in Tampa,
Fla. After competing in his first conference tournament, sophomore
Artem
Vlasenko checked in with RedStormSports.com to answer some
questions about himself and his first season with the Red
Storm.
RedStormSports.com: Why did you decide to
transfer to St. John’s?
Artem Vlasenko: I transferred to have the opportunity to
play in a tougher conference and to compete at a higher level
overall. The tennis program at St. John’s is organized well and
academically it is a very good university.
RSS: What do you enjoy the most about
being at St. John’s?
AV: The opportunities that are presented to the students
both academically and athletically.
RSS: From your first season at St. John’s,
what has been your favorite moment?
AV: My favorite moment would definitely be defeating the No.
116 player in the nation, Ryan Young from Clemson. Not only was my
win huge, but the closeness of the final score of the match against
the No. 20 team in the nation was incredible.
RSS: What was it like competing in your
first BIG EAST Tournament?
AV: I definitely gained a lot of experience playing against
the higher seeds at the tournament.
RSS: Despite the loss against Notre Dame
in the conference tournament semifinals, you compiled a team-best
winning streak including an upset of the No. 116 player in the
nation. How would you describe your first season at St.
John’s?
AV: After the spring break trip to Florida in March, I got a
better feel for the ball and with the mid-season break we had
following the trip, I was able to rest and put together that
winning streak. I think there are many talented guys on our team
that have helped me train during practice, and hopefully next year
we can do better in the BIG EAST Tournament.
RSS: If I asked your teammates to describe
you in one word, what word would they use?
AV: Dedicated.
RSS: Which of your teammates do you admire
the most? Why?
AV: Sasha. He is from the same area in Europe that I am from
and because of that we have similar interests and speak the same
language. At the same time, Claudio has been my doubles partner for
a long time and he has a great personality.
RSS: What are you looking forward to for
next season?
AV: Hopefully I will have an opportunity to play in the
All-American tournament. I would like have a great individual
season and hopefully we as a team can reach the goals we set forth
for next season.
RSS: Okay, we’ve talked enough about
tennis. Who is your favorite band?
AV: I have a couple favorites – Ministry of Sound, Hed Kandi
and Coldplay.
RSS: What is your favorite song?
AV: At the moment, my favorite song is Crystal Ball
by Keane.
RSS: What is your favorite movie?
AV: Once again, I can’t limit myself to just one. I enjoy
V for Vendetta, Beautiful Mind and Cinderella
Man.
RSS: What professional athlete do you
admire the most?
AV: Novak Djokovic. He is a Serbian tennis player who is
currently the world’s number seven professional men’s tennis player
on the ATP Tour and he’s only 19.
RSS: If you were given the opportunity to
meet Novak and were allowed to ask him just one question, what
would you ask?
AV: What were the things that you did, the schedule you
followed in order to become so successful?
RSS: What quote do you live by?
AV: “Don’t let others take control of you.”
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Athletics, please visit www.RedStormSports.com, or
call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.
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