Last weekend, men's tennis player Soufiane Azargui '14 won all four of his matches — two at singles and two at doubles — to help the Bears remain undefeated 6-0 in the winter season. Azargui's wins came at home against Binghamton, Bryant and Quinnipiac. For his dominating performances to help extend the Bears' winning streak, The Herald has named Azargui Athlete of the Week.
Do you model your game after a certain player?
No, not really. I've just been trying to be more aggressive, take balls a lot earlier and dictate a little bit more.
Do you have a favorite player?
At the moment, I think everybody's favorite player would be (Novak) Djokovic, just because of the way he's playing and how he seems to be dominating the tennis game from the baseline.
What is your favorite tennis memory?
It probably came last year. I played against Columbia in the Ivies, and we were 0-3 going into that match. It came down to my match, and seeing how important the team aspect was, with everyone cheering me on, and it was a really dramatic, long match. I ended up pulling it out with all the support of my teammates and coaches. Every time I think about that, I get goose bumps. It was one of my favorite freshman memories, and probably tennis memories, up to this point.
Do you have any special pre-match rituals?
No, not really. Before, I used to do my own warm-ups. But now we're in school, all the teammates do the same kind of warm-up before every match. But I really like to listen to some upbeat music to try to get me as pumped-up as possible before my match.
Do you have any favorite songs or artists?
One of my favorite artists right now is J. Cole. Drake is a good one. I'm from around Toronto, and he's from Toronto.
Why did you choose Brown?
It was at the top of my list with a few other schools, but I chose Brown because, on my visit, I got along really well with the team. I could tell the general atmosphere of the school and the guys on the team. I thought that I would fit in the best here. And also, I really liked the open curriculum, because I myself didn't know what I wanted to study in college. And Brown being the liberal school that it is, it just seemed to me like it was probably the best choice for me to try to find what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
What has been your favorite class at Brown?
I would probably have to go with bio, my introductory bio class with Professor Kenneth Miller. It was a really, really interesting class. I thought he was a brilliant professor.
What have you liked most about Brown?
The friends I've made, probably. I've met a wide variety of people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, with interesting lives, some with normal lives, up to this point. The variety in the friends that I've made — athletes and non-athletes. It's just been a really cool atmosphere. I've made a lot of very close friends that I hope to keep for many years to come.
