A Q&A with Gators freshman tennis player Sofie Oyen
Saturday, April 23, 2011 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
The Gators women's tennis team advanced to the SEC Tournament Championship on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Vanderbilt.
Florida faces the Georgia-Tennessee winner on Sunday at noon at the Barksdale Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
In her first season, Gators freshman Sofie Oyen has been an instant hit since arriving late in the summer from her native Belgium.
Oyen has played steady at No. 3 singles for much of the season and is one of the most talented freshmen in the SEC.
Back in Belgium, Oyen was a standout junior player who arrived on campus in August as the top-ranked 18-and-under player in her homeland. She even has her own Facebook fan club, but unless you know her native language, good luck reading it.
We caught up with Oyen before the Gators headed to Tennessee for the SEC Tournament.
Here is a Q&A with Oyen:
Q: What are your thoughts on your first season at UF?
A: It goes by so fast. It was really good. It was kind of what I expected. The practices were really hard, the school is really good, and the coaches have really helped me. That's all I expected, so it's really great.
Q: How did you end up here?
A: Last summer I played tournaments in Belgium and from June, Roland Thornqvist came and recruited me. He sent me an email first. I didn't think about [going to college] before. I played this tournament in Holland and he came and watched me there. That's the first time I was thinking about college. And then I really wanted to go here. It was really late.
Q: What was your plan before deciding to come to UF?
A: I was going to go pro before I met [Coach Thornqvist]. I had heard from colleges. In Belgium, you can't combine studies and tennis, so here it's perfect.
Q: Had you played in the U.S. before?
A: Yes, in junior tournaments here in Florida in Miami. That's it.
Q: How are you dealing with the Florida heat and what would the weather be like back home right now?
A: Now it's really hot for me. I'm used to it. I think it would be 65 degrees right now [at home], a little cooler.
Q: Were you kind of a mystery to U.S. schools?
A: I wasn't really interested [in college] before. But I knew this team was really good and I knew [UF player] Lauren Embree also.
Q: What's your outlook heading into the postseason?
A: We're SEC Champions. We want to win this tournament. And then I hope we win the NCAA. That will be a big job, but it would be great.
Q: How would you describe your game on the court?
A: It's not really offensive or defensive. It's more neutral. I play a lot of balls. Roland always says that I need to play cross court. Last year I always played down the line. I'm really fast, so that's my big point.
Q: When did you start playing tennis?
A: When I was 5, my cousin, he wanted to go play tennis. That's how I started to play.
Q: Did your cousin stick with it like you have?
A: No, not at all. That was just once.
Q: What are your plans once your freshman season is over?
A: I will play [as an amateur in] pro tournaments in Belgium and Holland over the summer, like nine events.
