FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
(article posted by Jeremy Rushing, Student Sports Information Assistant)

May 6, 2013 - Off and on the tennis court, Rustam Saini knows you have to put long hours of work in to achieve success. 

An aspiring certified public accountant (CPA), Rustam has also grown into one of the top players on the North Central College men's tennis team.  Rustam also knows what it takes to work your way to the top, from not seeing any varsity singles action his freshman season to playing primarily at the No. 2 position this year. 

As a sophomore, Rustam played both varsity singles and doubles.  In singles, he played mostly at the No. 5 position, posting a record of 5-12.  In doubles, the accounting major finished with a record of 5-13, playing at both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions.  So far this season, Rustam has a singles record of 1-12 while playing at the No. 2 position primarily.  In doubles, he has a 6-6 record, playing mostly at the No. 2 position.

When did you first start playing tennis?
I started playing tennis in sixth grade.

What got you into the sport?
When I was young, me and my dad's family would always play once or twice a week.  It kind of just took off from there.

What do you like most about tennis?
Physically, you use almost every muscle in your body when you play.  The mental aspect is huge too, you have to be really smart on the court to be able to win matches. 

To you, what's the most challenging part of the game?
Staying cool on the court.  It's a frustrating game and you can get so angry so quickly.  Once you lose your composure you're most likely not going to win.  So you have to keep your composure.

Do you prefer singles or doubles?
Single by far.  I enjoy the fact that it's just you and your opponent one on one.

Your team took a trip to Orlando, Fla., over Spring Break. What's that experience like?
It's fun because you're in Florida, but we also play six matches in four days while we're out there.  So it's a lot of tennis and a lot of hard work. 

What's your favorite class you've taken so far at North Central?
Intermediate Microeconomics with Professor Diane Anstine.  The last 5-10 minutes of each class she would talk about sports (laughs).  Now she's going to teach a Sports Economics class that I'm taking next year.  She just knows so much about sports and it's so fun learning from her.

What are your plans after graduation?
I'm an Accounting major so I plan on becoming a CPA.  I need to get 150 hours in before I can take the test.

Who are your biggest role models?
My dad.  He's taught me so much about life and taught me almost everything I know.