Fresno State Athletics
All roads lead to Fresno: Youssef Hassan
12/13/2016 1:02:00 PM | Men's Tennis
FRESNO, Calif. - There are 10 student-athletes on the Fresno State men's tennis team, but not one of them grew up in the same country. They are from Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Lithuania, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. Through a series of features GoBulldogs.com will explore the different paths each student-athlete took to end up at Fresno State.
The first, looks into junior team captain Youssef Hassan: born in Reading, England.
 Hassan began playing tennis at the age of 6 and started competing when he was 12-years-old. When he was playing in U14-U16 he was ranked within the top 10 nationally. He was unranked at the age of 17 while playing in U18. When he was 18-years-old  playing in U18 he was ranked inside the top seven nationally and was within the top 200 internationally.
The break in his rankings at the age of 17 came from a back injury he suffered when he was 16.
"I had a stress fracture in my back, it was a millimeter away from breaking into my vertebrae and I wouldn't have been able to play tennis again," Hassan said.
Hassan was unable to perform any physical activity for three months post operation and spent another three months learning how to run and walk again.
"I was out of competition for about a year," said Hassan. "I was dropped from the national team and I was playing terribly. I was losing to guys I used to beat."
The England native took this set back as an opportunity to come back even better than he was before. He started climbing the ranks with a lot of perseverance and countless hours of training.
"I slowly made a comeback and started winning the tournaments I should be winning, in time to get offers to play college tennis," Hassan said.
He was able to get his tennis career back on track and won the U18 doubles national title in the UK to start getting noticed by colleges in the U.S. Although Hassan admits he wasn't looking to come to the States before Fresno State contacted him.
Hassan's transition to the U.S. was quite smooth compared to the experience of a lot of his teammates.
"It helped that I'm fluent in English," said Hassan. "The biggest adjustment was getting used to playing on a team, after having my tennis career be all about me my whole life up to that point."
There isn't another U.S. college sport that has more international student-athletes than tennis. International student-athletes make up 70 percent of NCAA tennis players.
Hassan states that the diversity in U.S. college tennis not only helps them develop different skill sets in their tennis game, but it also helps them become a well-rounded person.
"You learn how to be accommodating and accepting to everyone," Hassan said. "Not everyone speaks English and not everyone has an easy transition. You learn about their cultures. You learn about different styles of thinking and playing from all different countries. I feel like with all the diversity and cultures on the team helps you become a well-rounded person."
As Hassan enters his junior year he is stepping into the role of team Co-Capitan on a young team - a leadership role that he picked up toward the end of last season and really amped-up in the conference tournament.
"I feel like I am a lot calmer than I was my freshman and sophomore year," Hassan said. "I was quite erratic. I feel like the change really came half way through my sophomore year. I really settled into my game and into my position on the team. I think going into these next two years I am really focused on looking out for the team."
Men's tennis head coach Luke Shields believes that Hassan embodies the qualities that he looks for to fill leadership roles on his team.
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"Youssef has overcome a lot this last year and has grown into a solid leader," Shields said. "I see greatness in Youssef because he is a relentless competitor. He has laid the foundation and put in all the ground work. I'm thrilled to see him and the rest of the team get rewarded starting in January."
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The junior is still looking to accomplish a few personal goals throughout his last two seasons as a Bulldog, but his main priority has shifted to the success of the team. That is what is most important to Hassan. He wants to put a specific emphasis on preparing his teammates the best he can for the competition they'll face throughout the season.
As an emerging leader, Hassan believes that the biggest difference about the team from last season to this year is that they have belief.
"We took a tough season and ended it on a high note, defeating the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament," Hassan said. "The team believes that we can win the Mountain West and that we can not only compete with the best teams in our conference but with the best teams in the country."
Last season, No. 8 seed Fresno State defeated No. 1 seed Utah State (4-2). The Bulldogs' tournament run ended in the semifinals in a close match against No. 4 seed UNLV falling 4-2.
The Bulldogs added five new players to their roster, including one transfer and four freshman, to reload for the 2017 season.
"The new guys will bring a lot of energy and freshness to the team," Hassan states. "I think we will have weapons throughout the season. We won't have to rely on certain guys to get it done every time. I think that there will be an even distribution of responsibility and everyone will have the ability to win in their given position."
The Bulldogs had a smaller roster last season competing with seven student-athletes compared to the upcoming season with 10 student-athletes. Hassan insists that this will really up the intensity in practice throughout the season.
"We had a small roster last season and with the addition of new players no one's position is safe," Hassan said. "We are going to have to come out and compete for our positions every day, to prove to the coaching staff that we do deserve to compete on match day. We will have to aspire to bring the best out of each other every day."
When asked what he is looking forward to about the upcoming season, Hassan said "I am looking to win the Mountain West, I am confident that our team can do it. I am looking forward to the grind of competing every day, at practice or in a match."
The men's tennis team will open up its spring campaign at the University of the Pacific on Jan. 14 and return to Fresno for their home opener on Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. PT against Cal Poly.
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"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogschoarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
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The first, looks into junior team captain Youssef Hassan: born in Reading, England.
 Hassan began playing tennis at the age of 6 and started competing when he was 12-years-old. When he was playing in U14-U16 he was ranked within the top 10 nationally. He was unranked at the age of 17 while playing in U18. When he was 18-years-old  playing in U18 he was ranked inside the top seven nationally and was within the top 200 internationally.
The break in his rankings at the age of 17 came from a back injury he suffered when he was 16.
"I had a stress fracture in my back, it was a millimeter away from breaking into my vertebrae and I wouldn't have been able to play tennis again," Hassan said.
Hassan was unable to perform any physical activity for three months post operation and spent another three months learning how to run and walk again.
"I was out of competition for about a year," said Hassan. "I was dropped from the national team and I was playing terribly. I was losing to guys I used to beat."
The England native took this set back as an opportunity to come back even better than he was before. He started climbing the ranks with a lot of perseverance and countless hours of training.
"I slowly made a comeback and started winning the tournaments I should be winning, in time to get offers to play college tennis," Hassan said.
He was able to get his tennis career back on track and won the U18 doubles national title in the UK to start getting noticed by colleges in the U.S. Although Hassan admits he wasn't looking to come to the States before Fresno State contacted him.
Hassan's transition to the U.S. was quite smooth compared to the experience of a lot of his teammates.
"It helped that I'm fluent in English," said Hassan. "The biggest adjustment was getting used to playing on a team, after having my tennis career be all about me my whole life up to that point."
There isn't another U.S. college sport that has more international student-athletes than tennis. International student-athletes make up 70 percent of NCAA tennis players.
Hassan states that the diversity in U.S. college tennis not only helps them develop different skill sets in their tennis game, but it also helps them become a well-rounded person.
"You learn how to be accommodating and accepting to everyone," Hassan said. "Not everyone speaks English and not everyone has an easy transition. You learn about their cultures. You learn about different styles of thinking and playing from all different countries. I feel like with all the diversity and cultures on the team helps you become a well-rounded person."
As Hassan enters his junior year he is stepping into the role of team Co-Capitan on a young team - a leadership role that he picked up toward the end of last season and really amped-up in the conference tournament.
"I feel like I am a lot calmer than I was my freshman and sophomore year," Hassan said. "I was quite erratic. I feel like the change really came half way through my sophomore year. I really settled into my game and into my position on the team. I think going into these next two years I am really focused on looking out for the team."
Men's tennis head coach Luke Shields believes that Hassan embodies the qualities that he looks for to fill leadership roles on his team.
Â
"Youssef has overcome a lot this last year and has grown into a solid leader," Shields said. "I see greatness in Youssef because he is a relentless competitor. He has laid the foundation and put in all the ground work. I'm thrilled to see him and the rest of the team get rewarded starting in January."
Â
The junior is still looking to accomplish a few personal goals throughout his last two seasons as a Bulldog, but his main priority has shifted to the success of the team. That is what is most important to Hassan. He wants to put a specific emphasis on preparing his teammates the best he can for the competition they'll face throughout the season.
As an emerging leader, Hassan believes that the biggest difference about the team from last season to this year is that they have belief.
"We took a tough season and ended it on a high note, defeating the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament," Hassan said. "The team believes that we can win the Mountain West and that we can not only compete with the best teams in our conference but with the best teams in the country."
Last season, No. 8 seed Fresno State defeated No. 1 seed Utah State (4-2). The Bulldogs' tournament run ended in the semifinals in a close match against No. 4 seed UNLV falling 4-2.
The Bulldogs added five new players to their roster, including one transfer and four freshman, to reload for the 2017 season.
"The new guys will bring a lot of energy and freshness to the team," Hassan states. "I think we will have weapons throughout the season. We won't have to rely on certain guys to get it done every time. I think that there will be an even distribution of responsibility and everyone will have the ability to win in their given position."
The Bulldogs had a smaller roster last season competing with seven student-athletes compared to the upcoming season with 10 student-athletes. Hassan insists that this will really up the intensity in practice throughout the season.
"We had a small roster last season and with the addition of new players no one's position is safe," Hassan said. "We are going to have to come out and compete for our positions every day, to prove to the coaching staff that we do deserve to compete on match day. We will have to aspire to bring the best out of each other every day."
When asked what he is looking forward to about the upcoming season, Hassan said "I am looking to win the Mountain West, I am confident that our team can do it. I am looking forward to the grind of competing every day, at practice or in a match."
The men's tennis team will open up its spring campaign at the University of the Pacific on Jan. 14 and return to Fresno for their home opener on Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. PT against Cal Poly.
Â
"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" - The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogschoarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
Â
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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