Fresno State Athletics
Beyond the Baseline With Jelena Pandzic
4/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 5, 2004
by Chloe Tatro, Fresno State Media Relations
Jelena Pandzic is the third-highest ranked freshman in the nation in women's tennis -- 17th in singles and 44th in doubles with partner Lucia Tallo -- and currently holds a record of 18-0 since joining the team in January. She has straight-set victories over No. 1-ranked Raquel Kops-Jones of California and reigning NCAA singles champion Amber Liu of Stanford.
This string of success is nothing new to the prescient Pandzic, who as a teenager, was ranked No. 1 in the under-14 age bracket, also winning the prestigious Orange Bowl in that division. She was among the top three players in Europe in the under-16 age bracket.
Pandzic's long line of victories is probably common knowledge to anyone who glances over a newspaper or watches the news, but who exactly is the 5-6 freshman from Split, Croatia, that is taking college tennis by storm?
For one thing, she's as serious in the classroom as she is on the court, achieving a 4.0 grade average for the fall 2003 semester. Pandzic chose to attend school in the United States because she could continue to play tennis while pursuing an education. In Europe, she explained, one either focuses on school or sports, but never both.
"When I was younger I never really thought about going to college because I thought I would play professionally," Pandzic said. "But as I got closer to graduation last February, I thought, 'What am I going to do after this?' I wanted something more and I was tired of just playing tournaments."
Pandzic already had friends attending school in the U.S., and one in particular sent her information and Web site addresses to aid in her search. She selected Fresno State because she had heard positive feedback about the tennis program and its coaching staff, and knew some of the players on the team.
The most difficult adjustment Pandzic had to make when moving to the U.S. was adapting to the "fast-paced" lifestyle she says Europe is lacking.
"I just kept going until I got used to it," she said. "It will probably be hard to slow myself down once I move back to Europe."
She misses her parents most when thinking about home - she hasn't seen them since Christmas - but talks with them often via telephone. Pandzic also misses living on the coast, but loves the traveling she is able to do with her team and the variety of people and scenery she encounters in each state.
"You can't characterize Americans," she laughed. "They are all so different."
Her favorite U.S. destination so far has been Las Vegas. With the vast amount of entertainment the busy city of lights offers, she said, "It's like Disneyland for grown-ups."
As far as tennis is concerned, Pandzic isn't sure whether she wants to turn pro. Right now she plans on focusing her efforts to bettering her game and playing her best for her team.
"We're ranked No. 10 right now, but it's not like we're satisfied with that," she said. "We are still trying to move forward because we want to go to the NCAA Tournament."
Pandzic said she would like to see her team ranked seventh by the end of the season, breaking the current program record of No. 8, held by the 2000-01 team.
And although Pandzic is a dominant force on the court, she said she never gets bored with her competition.
"If I have an easy match I use it to practice new techniques and strategies I don't normally use. It helps me prepare for my more difficult matches."
So what does the future hold for the rising tennis star?
Smiling, she simply said, "I'm not sure. I'll just take it as it comes, whatever happens, because it always turns out really good."
