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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Babic Makes Quick Adjustment to College Life in America
9/19/2014 | Men's Tennis
Sept. 19, 2014
Babic earned high marks on the court and in the classroom growing up in Zagreb, Croatia. He was ranked as high as No. 182 in the ITF Word Junior Rankings and ranked No. 1 in Croatia in juniors. He also ranked among the nation's top students.
"If you're a hard worker, you can do anything, especially with academics," Babic said. "It's not that hard to combine the tennis and academics, if you're willing to put in the effort. That's the thing I will have to continue to work on here."
On the court, he modeled his game not after fellow countrymen Goran Ivanisevic, a Wimbledon champion, and Marin Cilic, the reigning U.S. Open champion, but Andy Roddick because of his aggressive baseline play and Rafael Nadal because of his work ethic.
He has, however, seen the sport grow in Croatia, where team sports such as soccer are king, particularly with Cilic's recent run at the U.S. Open.
"It was an amazing feeling because Croatia is a small country with four million people," Babic said. "For someone to win the U.S. Open, it's really incredible. Cilic's success has been welcomed well in Croatia, and tennis might become a bigger sport in the next couple of years there."
From his recruiting visit, when he came for the Ole Miss-Texas A&M match last season, to his first couple of weeks in Oxford, he has noticed a big difference in the big-city lifestyle of Zagreb, the capital and largest city of Croatia, to the college-town lifestyle of Oxford.
The best thing about Ole Miss and Oxford, he said, is the sense of community.
"It's a lot different because I'm from a large city, Zagreb, the capital of Croatia with a million people. I see a lot of the same people all the time, and I start to get to know people. It's a small group of people, especially in my dorm and on campus. In Croatia, you don't know everybody. Here, it's a closer environment and it feels like family."
A high-achiever on the court and in the classroom, Babic has been particularly pleased with the athletic and academic support he has received to help with the transition.
"The scheduling, the system is really organized," Babic said. "Everything is organized, from practice, to fitness, to scheduling for classes. It's nice to have here. Back in Croatia, it was all on me and my father to combine tennis with academics. Here, you have advisors and tutors, and it makes a big difference when someone can help you with that."
One of three freshmen on this year's team, along with Gustav Hansson and Robert Mounger, the fall season starting with the SEC Fall Classic is important not only for their individual development but also building team chemistry heading into the spring season.
"For him, getting a lot of good matches in and feeling like he can compete at a high level, being successful, winning matches, he needs to go out there and compete a lot," Hansson said. "He has certainly put in a great couple of weeks here already. He's getting better prepared and has a better chance to be successful. He's on the right path to do some good things this fall and in the spring."
"We have to improve our skills and improve the weak spots in our games to play better in the spring," Babic said. "As a team, we [new guys] have to develop chemistry with the older guys. It's most important that we become a team."
Austin Miller is a writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. He joined the staff in June 2013 after serving as sports editor of the Daily Mississippian. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller.
By Austin Miller, OleMissSports.com
OXFORD, Miss. - For some freshmen, it takes a year to adjust. For others, in the words of Ole Miss men's tennis head coach Toby Hansson, it takes five minutes to adjust. Count freshman Zvonimir Babic among the latter.
"He's a very energetic, organized young man," Hansson said. "He has a lot of passion for the game and he brings a lot of energy when he comes to practice. He has a great attitude, regardless of whether it's taking care of things academically or doing the extra work on the court that is necessary."
Babic earned high marks on the court and in the classroom growing up in Zagreb, Croatia. He was ranked as high as No. 182 in the ITF Word Junior Rankings and ranked No. 1 in Croatia in juniors. He also ranked among the nation's top students.
"If you're a hard worker, you can do anything, especially with academics," Babic said. "It's not that hard to combine the tennis and academics, if you're willing to put in the effort. That's the thing I will have to continue to work on here."
On the court, he modeled his game not after fellow countrymen Goran Ivanisevic, a Wimbledon champion, and Marin Cilic, the reigning U.S. Open champion, but Andy Roddick because of his aggressive baseline play and Rafael Nadal because of his work ethic.
He has, however, seen the sport grow in Croatia, where team sports such as soccer are king, particularly with Cilic's recent run at the U.S. Open.
"It was an amazing feeling because Croatia is a small country with four million people," Babic said. "For someone to win the U.S. Open, it's really incredible. Cilic's success has been welcomed well in Croatia, and tennis might become a bigger sport in the next couple of years there."
From his recruiting visit, when he came for the Ole Miss-Texas A&M match last season, to his first couple of weeks in Oxford, he has noticed a big difference in the big-city lifestyle of Zagreb, the capital and largest city of Croatia, to the college-town lifestyle of Oxford.
The best thing about Ole Miss and Oxford, he said, is the sense of community.
"It's a lot different because I'm from a large city, Zagreb, the capital of Croatia with a million people. I see a lot of the same people all the time, and I start to get to know people. It's a small group of people, especially in my dorm and on campus. In Croatia, you don't know everybody. Here, it's a closer environment and it feels like family."
A high-achiever on the court and in the classroom, Babic has been particularly pleased with the athletic and academic support he has received to help with the transition.
"The scheduling, the system is really organized," Babic said. "Everything is organized, from practice, to fitness, to scheduling for classes. It's nice to have here. Back in Croatia, it was all on me and my father to combine tennis with academics. Here, you have advisors and tutors, and it makes a big difference when someone can help you with that."
One of three freshmen on this year's team, along with Gustav Hansson and Robert Mounger, the fall season starting with the SEC Fall Classic is important not only for their individual development but also building team chemistry heading into the spring season.
"For him, getting a lot of good matches in and feeling like he can compete at a high level, being successful, winning matches, he needs to go out there and compete a lot," Hansson said. "He has certainly put in a great couple of weeks here already. He's getting better prepared and has a better chance to be successful. He's on the right path to do some good things this fall and in the spring."
"We have to improve our skills and improve the weak spots in our games to play better in the spring," Babic said. "As a team, we [new guys] have to develop chemistry with the older guys. It's most important that we become a team."
Austin Miller is a writer and blogger for OleMissSports.com. He joined the staff in June 2013 after serving as sports editor of the Daily Mississippian. Follow him on Twitter @austinkmiller.
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