Q & A With Andjela Nemcevic
February 12, 2011 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 12, 2011
» Huskies Grab Another Top-20 Upset In Home Opener
On the day before her first home match, freshman Andjela Nemcevic talked to GoHuskies.com about how she hoped to control her emotions and feed off the crowd the next day against 16th-ranked Ole Miss. On Friday, Nemcevic did just that, breaking a 3-all tie with a three-set victory to give Washington the upset win. A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Nemcevic has been a very big part of UW's 6-1 start to the season, posting a 5-2 record at No. 4 singles through Friday's match. The outgoing freshman talks about the role a former Husky great played in getting her to Washington, adjustments to a new home, and what she admired about Denise Dy's clinching performances in Florida (which she then duplicated on Friday).
GoHuskies.com: So how did your path take you from Serbia to Seattle? How did you first find out about Washington?
Andjela Nemcevic: I don't know how long ago, but Alex Slovic was here. That's how I mostly got in touch, because I've known him for a long time. We met and basically I saw that UW has a really good ranking academically and athletically so I just sent an e-mail to Jill and I sent an e-mail to find out if Vanja (Radunovic) was here. I know Vanja, and we used to play tournaments together. Then I got in touch and Jill was so nice. She replied to my e-mail in a couple hours. I was so happy, and at that time I think they had two scholarships. She was like, `Angela you have three days to decide, because we sign our contracts in three days.' So it was really fast but I think this was the right decision; it couldn't be any better.
GH: Over those couples days, who did you discuss it with? What made it seem like a good fit?
AN: Last summer I still played tournaments, futures in Serbia and Europe and then I just started to think about college and the U.S. and all that kind of stuff. I just looked at the list, and saw a couple of places I wanted to go, and it was really fast. I talked with my parents mostly. My mom's first reaction to be honest was that Seattle is so far away. She needed to talk to Alex Slovic to ask him some questions. She was so annoying! (laughs) Then she said it was okay, and saw photos on the website and rankings, and she liked it. I talked mostly with my parents and with Alex and Vanja. Jill was in contact with a couple of coaches in Serbia so I talked with one coach. He had sent Slovic there and he said you won't regret it.
GH: So your first time seeing Seattle in person was when you moved to live here? That must be a little scary.
AN: It was just like boom, I'm going there and whatever happens. But the big thing is it wasn't my first time in the U.S. because I travelled to play tournaments. I was in Florida which is much different but it wasn't a big shock when I first came here because I knew what to expect. That's a positive side. I met a lot of people in tournaments so I saw how it is.
GH: What sorts of surprises did you have early on, either in classes or just with the culture?
AN: School is very different and the classes are so much bigger. I would like to major in biochemistry so I'm taking those big classes-- chemistry and physics. Classes are really big, like 500 students. Also, technology and everything is so much better than in Serbia. It's a surprise and everything is so well organized. I didn't used to study and do my homework online and all that. For the language, my mom took me to private lessons when I was four or five so I'm in contact with English but still it's so different when you learn a language in your own country because it focuses on grammar. When you want to communicate with people it's much different. I had a language barrier for the first month and then I started to open a little more, and now I'm good.
GH: Did it take some time adjusting to the team environment and team match aspect?
AN: It is completely different because I played individually over there, and when I came here there was the atmosphere and positive energy. That's a positive surprise for me; there haven't been any negative surprises yet.
GH: Does it feel like there's more pressure playing on a team or does having the team support outweigh that?
AN: I appreciate my scholarship so I don't want to screw that up. I like that feeling because I have to work for the team and our coaches and our university. Tomorrow (Friday) is our first home match and the girls told me have a huge crowd, a lot of people come to support us. That's a big thing because I never really played in front of that kind of crowd. They're really good fans; they follow through Facebook and everything. That's the thing I'm really excited about for tomorrow.
GH: You've had a lot of close matches and close sets so far, is that just a coincidence or does that indicate anything about how you play?
AN: That's my game; I'm a hard worker and a fighter. When it comes to those five-all, tough situations I was a little bit under pressure because everything is new for me, especially in the fall. But I think I've really improved a lot and it's going pretty good so far. I don't have many easy wins but I think I have a positive score so far (laughs).
GH: As a team you guys spent the first four weeks on the road, and you traveled a lot in the fall. How has it been spending so much time in airports and hotels?
AN: I never traveled this much; every weekend in a row. You have to get used to it and we really enjoy it. We travelled to Florida, San Diego, Michigan. I enjoy seeing those big universities. I would have to say our campus is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. I hope I stay next summer because they all say summer is amazing in Seattle.
GH: Did you play much doubles in your junior career?
AN: (laughs) Serbia is not so famous in doubles, so it was hard to learn all those things really fast because we didn't have a lot of time. We had like two months to prepare for the season and that win in doubles (against Texas) was really big for (Samantha Smith) and I. I really appreciate Sam's help in the beginning. I think she was frustrated because I was really bad (laughs) but then with her help and support we made it. I was really happy about that.
GH: Talk a bit about the trip to Florida State for National Team Indoor qualifying. That must have been a pretty incredible weekend.
AN: In my singles matches, it was really tough. I didn't have luck in the second match. I really played good but there were a couple of overrules and drama, but I'm satisfied because I did my best. We all played with pride because our coach was gone and really you could see in our assistant coaches' faces they were so happy and proud of us. That's what makes you feel good on and off the court, and confident. Then I think that's why the next weekend (in San Diego) we were a little bit relaxed. That's why we had a tough match against San Diego State. Even though it was 6-1, it was hard. We relaxed, and you saw that in the second match at the University of San Diego. Hopefully tomorrow will be the same like Florida State.
I have to mention (Denise Dy) is unbelievable in pressure situations. It was three-all at Florida State both days, amazing. That girl is amazing.
GH: So what could Husky fans look for from you this weekend? What things do you need to do to be successful?
AN: Personally, I am very emotional so I should control my emotions because it is my first home match and I should keep my energy somewhere in between. The crowd will bring a lot of energy so that should help. I just have to do my job--stay disciplined and focused. I'll play my best and play with pride. We talked about this--we've seen the team that needs motivation every single week. When we had Jill as motivation we played amazing and then next weekend we kind of lost that motivation so what we really need to do is stay motivated and fight.
