Learning a sport is hard enough, but tennis wasn’t the only challenge facing Top Nidunjianzan when he arrived at IMG Academy. A native of Tibet, Nidunjianzan had to navigate a new country and a new language while he worked from a young age to develop his game. Thanks to his drive, his focus, and the support of his coaches and teachers at IMG Academy, Nidunjianzan achieved success both on and off the court.
Nidunjianzan’s IMG Academy English teacher, Stephanie Sifrit, saw his potential. “When I first met Top, he was 11 years old,” Sifrit explains. “He was a little boy who was here to learn English and to try to develop his skills in tennis. He quickly became part of the family.”
Sifrit’s guidance helped Nidunjianzan become more comfortable and settle in to life at IMG Academy. “She felt like a mom, you know,” Nidunjianzan says. “She was really trying to help the students. She really cares for them."
Nidunjianzan excelled in school and brought hisnew confidence to the court. His IMG Acadmy tennis coach, Filip Kraljevic, immediately recognized his talents. “His play style is really aggressive,” Filip explains. “He recently played a tournament where he passed the qualifiers and then won a few rounds, so that was really good to see him win some pro matches.”
Nidunjianzan built upon his success at IMG Academy when he enrolled at Princeton and went on to earn All-Ivy honors as the Tigers’ No. 1 singles competitor. He credits his father for some sage advice that guided him on his journey.
“My dad always told me that you do well in school because that will help tennis.” Nidunjianzan says. “At the moment, I was like, ‘What do you mean that will help tennis?’ But throughout the years, I tried to do really well in school because all my peers wanted to do well, so we pushed each other.”
Watch the video to learn more about how Nidunjianzan’s persistence and continued growth helped him succeed as a student-athlete. To sign up for a tennis camp or to learn about our boarding school programs and other offerings at IMG Academy, click on the links below.
