ATHLETE PROFILE: MOUSHEG HOVHANNISYAN
By Vida Samei
Graphic – Pepperdine Univ
ete-profile-mousheg-hovhannisyan-1.2245096
April 28 2010
CA
At the age of 6, a typical child is sent off to his first day of
elementary school with backpack in hand. At the age of 6, Mousheg
Hovhannisyan was sent off to tennis practice with racket in hand.
Childhood was anything but typical for this Pepperdine men’s tennis
player. But no matter how unusual his youth may have been, one thing
remains the same: he was meant to play tennis.
Hovhannisyan is just one of six international players on the Pepperdine
men’s tennis team. A native of Armenia, his whole life changed when his
family decided to move to the United States when he was 8 years old.
The change and adjustment proved difficult. And yet tennis began to
slowly serve as the only constant in his life.
With the influence of his father, Hovhannisyan’s intensity for the
game grew quickly. "He used to be a pingpong player in the Soviet
Union," Hovhannisyan said. "Then he became a director of a tennis
academy and he encouraged me to start playing."
A nearby park close to their home in Los Angeles became the site for
Hovhannisyan’s practicing. The park became a frequent stop for him
and was eventually where he came to meet a man who would take his
game to the next level.
Kelley Slane became Hovhannisyan’s permanent coach and led him to a
No. 5 ranking in the Junior Boys 16s Division of the United States
Tennis Association. Slane virtually yanked him out of the field
of amateur tennis and propelled him into the world of top-notch
professional tennis.
But Hovhannisyan began questioning the future of his education.
"University wasn’t something I was really thinking about," said
Hovhannisyan. "I just wanted to go pro and be a top tennis player. I
decided I wanted to go to school in December of 2008 and ended up
playing for Pepperdine."
Coach Adam Steinberg recruited Hovhannisyan following his outstanding
play at the USTA National Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. He reached
the semifinals in both the boys’ 18 singles and doubles events and
in turn earned himself a spot on the Pepperdine team.
Following the footsteps of his coach who had once played for the
Pepperdine tennis team in 1984, Hovhannisyan has gone above and
beyond for his fellow teammates and has proven to be a great asset
for his team.
"His on-court game is very aggressive and intense," said fellow
teammate and close friend Finbar Tearney. "He’s very talented and he
has a lot of great potential."
Tearney described the close bond between the team as well. "We are
all friends. I’d jump in front of a bus for them. I’d take a bullet
for these guys."
The fighting spirit of the players is evident on the tennis court and
clearly carries on to their lives off-court as well. The passion for
the game that all 10 players on the team share bind them together in
a brotherly bond that is just as powerful as their fight on court.
And so the fight continues.
The men’s tennis team got off to a rocky start with six wins and nine
losses, but Hovhannisyan is still confident that the team will finish
their season off strong. Their recent domination in the West Coast
Conference means they are on the right track. This very confidence
is what makes him such a valuable player and is the reason he has
managed to reach such great heights in his tennis career.
But, there have been moments of doubt in Hovhannisyan’s life as well.
Hovhannisyan has had his fair share of upsets. These upsets have
occasionally impacted him in such a way as to make him consider
quitting the game of tennis all together after a big loss or upset.
The closest he ever got to actually putting away his racket and tennis
balls for good occurred at the age of 14.
"I wanted to quit and my dad said that if I wanted to quit, I needed
to do it right then and there," he recalled. "But then I remembered
how much time and energy I had put into perfecting my game and the
passion I had for tennis. I realized that no amount of losses could
ever stop me from playing."
Since then, Hovhannisyan has learned that his losses only make his
wins that much sweeter.
With aspirations of turning professional after graduating from
Pepperdine, Hovhannisyan is finally realizing how close he really is
to making his dreams a reality. And then, will he truly realize how
far he truly has come.
"My first day stepping out on the court as a pro . . . now that’s
when I can step back and realize how sweet it really is. That’s when
my dream will finally become a reality."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
