ATLANTA - With a city so interested in tennis, it's no wonder that there would be so many international students who come to Georgia State to play in college.
Along with the campus being located right in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the business school is a big draw for students who travel from around the world. Many of the international students have business-related majors, so having a business school ranked in the top 50 nationally is a great advantage.
“I'm from Paris, so I didn't want to be in a college town or a small town, and Atlanta was a great option. The school not only has a great tennis program, but also a ranked business school and it was definitely good to have that mix,” senior Sofiane Chevallier said about his decision to come to Georgia State and play for the men's squad.
One of the biggest tennis towns in the United States, there is no shortage of courts and clubs in the area. The city is also host to several tennis tournaments including the Atlanta Open, which has been held here for nearly a decade.
“That's something that you don't find at a lot of other universities,” said head men's coach Brett Ross. “ALTA (Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association) has about 80,000 members, and as our program continues to grow I think it will definitely lead to even more interest in the sport.”
The proximity to the airport makes it a lot less difficult for the international students to go home or have their family visit, something that might not be possible in another city.
“Coming from another country, you generally don't want to go somewhere that you've never heard of, but Atlanta has a lot of recognition and is very well known,” said senior Masa Grgan, a 2014 NCAA qualifier for the women's team.
The family atmosphere of the school is a big selling point when for not only international students, but American students as well.
One of four American players on the 10-athlete roster for the men's team, sophomore Christian Gochnauer said: “We all get along really well and we're basically just one big family.”
A big family that extends from Atlanta around the world.
