BIG RAPIDS – Nate Sanders decided he wanted to play college tennis, but not in Big Rapids.
Not in Michigan.
Not in the United States.
Not in North America.
Not in the Western Hemisphere.
Try Rome, Italy.
It’s where Sanders, a standout tennis player at Big Rapids, said he will continue his career on the college level.
“They reached out to me,” Sanders said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to travel and just experience something different. They emailed me and I emailed back.”
At Big Rapids, Sanders was a three-time state qualifier with a record of 59-15 at No. 2 singles. But he’s now getting ready to continue paying his tennis hallway around the world.
Sanders said he’ll be leaving on Aug. 20 and is going for a sports management major at Rome City Institute.
The school’s website states this: “Want to be a student-athlete in Italy? At the Rome City Institute you can get a top-quality education and play sports at a high level while surrounded by the spectacular sights of Rome!”
Sanders said he’ll be playing tennis for the ITF and then going to college.
“I visited there in April and checked out the college,” he said. “I really wanted to travel and experience something new. I’ll look forward to traveling and playing new players I haven’t played before.”
Sanders said there’s a mixture of Americans and Europeans attending the college. He said he’ll be playing singles for the tennis team.
Sanders said it’s a three-year college where he’ll be working on a Bachelor’s degree.
At Big Rapids he was at No 2 singles for the tennis team, which finished fourth in the state, and was a manager for the hockey team. He’s currently working on his game this summer to get ready for his new career.
Source: https://www.bigrapidsnews.com/sports/article/rome-big-rapids-tennis-player-18188495.php