Tennis teams span the globe for talent

By Todd Golden
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE May 07, 2008 11:08 pm

— Both the Indiana State men’s and women’s tennis teams span the globe in the hunt for talent.
On the women’s team, the players hail from France, Algeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ukraine, proof that the American melting pot lives on in Sycamore form.
There isn’t enough money in the recruiting budget for ISU coach Malik Tabet to travel to these places individually. So the challenge of recruiting players to come to ISU is much more difficult than it is for coaches in other sports who recruit exclusively in the United States, often within a day’s drive of campus.
Tabet says it’s vital to recruit international players. He knew it from the time he took over in 2004.
“I wanted to make a difference right away,” said Tabet, who competed for the Algerian national team and Davis Cup team from 1991-95. “The best way to do that is to bring ex-national players who wanted to keep playing tennis and who wanted to go to school.”
The international dynamic works for Tabet (as well as men’s coach Jonas Piibor, five of the six ISU men’s players are from other countries), as much as the domestic scene can work against them. Tabet said that it’s hard to get enough domestic players to build a program in this part of the Midwest. Not unlike other outdoor sports, part of it is that the tennis talent is elsewhere in the country. Tabet said that it also has to do with some strong programs in ISU’s backyard.
“It’s hard to recruit in this region. With Indiana, Notre Dame, Northwestern among others, it is very hard to bring in local kids or kids from the region. Indiana State hasn’t had the tradition the way some of those other schools have had it. It’s been very difficult to get those kids,” Tabet said.
International players fit because the United States is unique in its combination of athletics and academics. In most other countries, there is no mix of the two.
“When you finish high school, you either go to school or you play tennis. You cannot do both. So for them [international players] it’s a perfect fit,” Tabet said.
Tabet said he scouts talent through connections he developed during his playing days. In addition to competing for Algeria, he played internationally in the late 1990s, winning tournaments in Syria and Spain, among other places.
“I have friends that still play, I have friends I played with that are now in coaching, at academies, clubs or in national tennis programs. We communicate on a regular basis,” Tabet said. “You do a lot of it through trust and knowing that your connections know exactly what kind of player you’re looking for.”
Tabet said it’s very rewarding for him to give his players the opportunity to experience a new culture and give them an opportunity that will positively influence their lives. There’s only one drawback.
“You should see my phone bill,” Tabet said.