After accumulating 13 wins on the top court this season in singles action, Vazha Shubladze was named the Sun Belt Men's Tennis Player of the Year by the conference office last week. The junior is the first Panther to be named Player of the Year in tennis since 2001. This week we caught up with Shubladze to learn more about his transition to college and his life away from the courts.
A native of Tbilisi, Georgia, Shubladze first heard of Georgia State through head coach Jonathan Wolff, who reached out to him. Shubladze had never been to the United States, but once he heard about the program and the city of Atlanta, he did not need much more convincing. Shubladze decided to travel over 6000 miles away from home to join the Georgia State team.
Upon arrival in downtown Atlanta, Shubladze quickly learned that the American lifestyle was extremely different than what he was accustomed to back home.
"Everything is different here, so when I first came it was a little bit of a shock since I had never been to the States before, but I got used to it pretty quick," said Shubladze. "My teammates made it very easy to adapt to the new lifestyle."
Shubladze made an immediate impact on the team. His 9-6 record in his rookie campaign earned him 2019 Newcomer of the Year honors and All-Sun Belt Second Team Singles. After battling injury, the following season Shubladze advanced to the semifinals of the Main Singles Draw in the ITA Southeast Regional, which remains his favorite GSU tennis memory. Aside from his personal success, Shubladze has loved the team aspect of collegiate tennis the most.
"My favorite thing about sports is the competition and the winning feeling. Especially in college tennis where it is more of a team sport and you get to celebrate the win with your teammates," said Shubladze.
When Shubladze is not training, competing, or studying, the finance major partakes in a few of his favorite hobbies. Although he has always been more serious about tennis, Shubladze has been playing soccer since he was a kid and it remains one of his favorite pastimes. Additionally, Shubladze picked up the game of chess when he was six years old and played for a year before he began his tennis career. He was inspired by his older cousin who is an international master. Shubladze continues to play the game, frequently competing against and often defeating his GSU teammate, Diego Padilha.
Shubladze and the Panthers have finished their 2021 campaign, which included a ten-match winning streak, matching the fifth-longest in program history. He will continue to workout and also rest throughout the summer before taking the courts again next season for the blue and white.
