Since transferring to NSU last year from ASA College located in Miami, senior Simone Pratt has proven to be a vital addition to the NSU tennis team. After returning from an impressive showing in both singles and doubles at the 2017 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships held in Valdosta, Georgia, I sat down with Pratt to get her take on the last collegiate season and find out more about her future plans.
Where are you originally from? Do you visit home a lot?
“I am from Freeport, Bahamas; it’s about a 25-minute plane ride from here so I do get to visit home a lot during the year.”
How long have you been playing tennis?
“Well I am 21 years old now and I’ve been playing since I was six years old, so it’s been a while.”
Is tennis a big sport in the Bahamas?
“No, not really. My dad got me into playing and ever since I just continued it. Just my dad and my cousin play in my family, so it’s not a huge thing in my family either.”
Why did you transfer to NSU? Was there something specific that made you want to come here?
“Well I was at ASA College in Miami and so I wanted to stay in Florida, and Nova is a very good recognized school so I decided to transfer here. I had a friend that was here as well and I talked to her and asked her about it and she gave a really good recommendation … I also talked to the coach; we traveled [together while] playing in juniors so that’s how I knew her.”
Did you always want to play tennis in college?
“Well, the original thought was to play professionally, but I decided it would be better to go to school and then try again after. I definitely want to play in some professional tournaments and travel. I have to put together a schedule and look at tournaments and see which ones will fit for me to play.”
Do you like singles or doubles better? Why?
“Singles. You are playing by yourself so you determine your own mistakes rather than playing with another person. Playing with another person is still fun as well, but I prefer playing singles.”
Do you ever get nervous before playing?
“Sometimes. I am pretty calm before matches … everybody gets a little nervous especially if it’s important.”
How does being a senior impact your perspective?
“Well, I guess I feel a little more comfortable, and whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”
What is different about this season compared to last season?
“We definitely have a lot more people. I think last season we had like five girls and this year we have around nine or ten, which gives us a lot more diversity.”
What are some of your goals for this season?
“Obviously this season I want to win, [but I also want us to] also to come together as a team even if we don’t win and to try and make it as far as we can.”
